Above all else, Mass Effect is known for its memorable and complex characters that work alongside Commander Shepard. The games' squates are the highlights of the series, and of the crew like Garrus Vakarian and Tali'Zorah are mainstays of the franchise, appearing in every game of the original trilogy.

On the other hand, there are some squates that get much less screen time, only accompanying Shepard on a couple of missions at most. These temporary squad don't get the complex character-building of more permanent crew , but some have become fan favorites regardless. Meanwhile, others have fallen into obscurity to the point that some players may not even their existence.

7 Amanda Kenson Is Barely Even A Squad Member

This Traitor Spends The Least Time On Shepard's Side

You'd be forgiven for not immediately knowing who Dr. Amanda Kenson is, especially if you've never played the Arrival DLC for Mass Effect 2. That expansion sees Shepard sent on a solo mission to a Batarian-controlled planet, where this human researcher has been detained. The first part of the DLC involves rescuing her, and she'll become a squad member with engineer-like powers after she is freed.

She helps Shepard escape the Batarian planet, only to reveal that she and her underlings have fallen victim to the Reapers' indoctrination and are working on a way to hasten their arrival in the galaxy. After that, she becomes the DLC's antagonist, as Shepard fights to stop her plans for assisting the genocidal AI. Ultimately, the Reaper Harbinger takes center stage as the main villain of this mission, and Kenson is left as a forgettable side character who spent less than an hour on Shepard's squad.

6 Wilson Played A Big Role, Just Mostly Off Camera

The Engineer Behind Shepard's Remodeling

Mass Effect 2 players will certainly Wilson, just probably not as an ally. He's the second companion Shepard adds to their squad in this game, helping the commander to escape a Cerberus facility where the robot security force has gone haywire. Wilson is an engineer, whose main purpose is to introduce the player to how engineer powers like Overload work in this part of the series before he is shot dead by Miranda outside the escape shuttle.

As it turns out, though, Wilson played a larger role before the events of ME2. He was a member of the Lazarus Project team that reconstructed Shepard after their fatal fight with the Collectors, meaning that he and Miranda are responsible for bringing the commander back to life to save the galaxy.

Wilson can be heard on a recording found inside the base, complaining about both the project's cost and Miranda, hinting at his dissatisfaction with the organization.

As it also turns out, though, Wilson was a likely traitor who tried to get Miranda killed. It was he who caused the robotic security droids to malfunction and attack, even going so far as to let one shoot him to build up his lie. Miranda saw through this and killed him, ending his time on Shepard's squad.

5 Nyreen Kandros Has Unique Powers But Little Character Development

The Lesser Of Omega's Two Temporary Companions

Nyreen Kandros is a biotic freedom fighter on Omega with some unique powers that make having her on the squad very worthwhile. Her main ability, Biotic Protector, creates an area of transparent cover that blocks projectiles, which is especially helpful against trigger-happy Cerberus goons.

Nyreen has a fairly interesting story as someone with a strong moral com in charge of a powerful mercenary group on a planet rife with crime. Her relationship with characters like Aria T'Loak, the crime lord of Omega, provides some nice characterization for both of them throughout the Omega DLC. There are a couple of factors that hold her back from being especially memorable, however.

For one thing, she begs comparison to Aria, another biotic with stronger powers and a more compelling personality. For another, the purpose she serves in the story is purely to motivate Aria, as she is introduced halfway through the DLC and dies in a moment of self-sacrifice at the end. Ultimately, Nyreen has interesting abilities but lacks the screen time or depth to be especially interesting character-wise.

4 Brooks Takes The Cake For Most Memorable Squad Traitor

A Cartoon Villain On Shepard's Team

Of all the villains in Mass Effect, Maya Brooks is the most cartoonishly evil. She's a former Cerberus spy acting as a double agent on Shepard's crew during the Mass Effect 3 Citadel DLC, gaining the commander's trust before helping their clone replace them. The whole plot of this DLC involving a second Shepard and the whole former crew banding together is purposefully over-the-top, and Maya is the perfect villain for that sort of story, metaphorically twirling her mustache and maniacally laughing.

Brooks gets more characterization in the Mass Effect comics, which follow parts of her life before the events of the Citadel DLC.

As a squad member, she's only available for one mission: the infiltration of the Citadel casino. This mission doesn't actually involve any combat, being purely a stealth/infiltration operation, so Brooks never gets to show off any powers or abilities while on the team. She is hardly even present during this quest, as she spends nearly all of it sneaking through air ducts off-screen.

Brooks' betrayal in the Citadel vaults works well for what it is, and she's an effective villain in the later battle aboard the Normandy. She's memorable as an antagonist, but as a squad member, there's not much to speak of. It leaves her in an odd position when comparing temporary companions, landing her squarely in the middle.

3 Aria T'Loak Is Better Known For Her Role As An NPC

A Follower That Feels More Like A Commander

Aria T'Loak was a Mass Effect character long before she ed Shepard's squad, appearing first in Mass Effect 2 as a crime boss who provides some helpful information. She stands out there as an interesting character: a centuries-old biotic warrior who is holding together a chaotic underworld of mercenaries and murderers. Her conflict with Garrus and her relationships with Mordin and the Patriarch make Omega a very interesting location to explore in that game.

Aria returns in ME3, where she requests Shepard's help taking Omega back from Cerberus operatives. Her character remains consistent, pulling together resources and staging aggressive but calculated attacks on Cerberus, though her interactions with Nyreen give her some extra shading. As a bonus, she gets some neat biotic powers that help her live up to the reputation established in the previous game.

Aria's hardened exterior and mystique made her an interesting character in the second game, though the third shows a bit more of her true self, a neat angle to explore this kind of character.

The only real issue with Aria as a squad mate is that, with her position of power and commanding attitude, it feels more like Shepard is temporarily a part of her squad. This would be fine, but gameplay-wise, Shepard is still very much in charge. It's a small discrepancy that can cause tonal problems for players during the DLC if they think about it too much. Aria is certainly a memorable character with a big impact on the story, but she feels more like an NPC than a squad member, even when she's in that role.

2 iral Anderson Is A Follower For Too Short A Time

A Great Mentor With Too Few Scenes In The Series

iral David Anderson is a fan-favorite character of the series, played brilliantly by actor Keith David. He's Shepard's mentor, a wise old military figure who tends to the commander's actions with loyalty and pride. His history with the Spectres, Saren, and the Alliance lends him a ton of character depth, and it's always great when he s a scene.

He is a follower for all too brief a time in Mass Effect 3, Shepard's first squad mate in the last part of the original trilogy. As such, he doesn't get to do much, simply helping Shepard escape Earth and fighting a few Reaper soldiers on the way. He plays a much bigger role in the story as a representation of Earth's forces during the Reaper War, a connection to Shepard that remains on the planet and reflects the state of the conflict there.

Unlike some of the other temporary companions that would have done better with more screen time, Anderson's absence feels very intentional. For Shepard, the old iral is a figure of inspiration and respect; it's important that Shepard be in charge of the Normandy, and Anderson would take that role were he present. Not only that, but his presence on Earth acts as a more personal bit of motivation for players to save their home planet.

1 Richard L. Jenkins Takes The Title For Most Memorable

Who Could Forget This Private's Tragic Demise

Calling Richard L. Jenkins the best temporary Mass Effect companion might seem odd, since out of all of these characters, Jenkins probably gets the least total screen time and voice lines. He's a private in the Alliance who accompanies Commander Shepard and Kaiden Alenko onto Eden Prime during Saren's attack. His entire role in the story is providing some exposition on the planet before dying to some Geth scouting drones so that Ashley can take his place on the squad.

However, Jenkins is also important because of what he represents: the naivety and ambition of humanity, one of the key themes of the entire series. Humans are constantly depicted as more headstrong, pioneering, and self-destructive than any of the other Council races, a commentary on our own nature and how we approach exploration. Jenkins is the embodiment of that spirit, a young and determined human soldier with dreams of being a hero, whose own enthusiasm leads him to an early grave.

He's the first crew member Shepard loses, and amidst the introduction of the Geth, their dragon's teeth, and the Reapers, his death sets the tone for the beginning of the game. Jenkins makes it clear that their squates aren't inherently safe, and it will take careful decision-making to keep everyone alive. In this case, ironically, no choice can spare Jenkins' life, but he paves the way for so much else in Mass Effect.