Peebee and Asari Culture (Mass Effect: Andromeda)

ORIGINALLY WRITTEN: March 2023

DISCLAIMER: None (Subject to Change)

CONTENT WARNINGS: None (Subject to Change)

An interesting thing about Pelessaria (aka Peebee) is the fact that her father was not also an asari. Rather, Peebee is the offspring of an elcor father and her Asari “mother”.

This is in contrast to her half-sister, who was the offspring of an asari “father” and asari “mother”.

Note how I’ve put quotations around the words father and mother when referring to Peebee’s parent and stepparent. This is because the asari are a mono-gender race and can fill both paternal and maternal roles, despite having a primarily maternal instinct. The asari, like most Mass Effect species, are rather interesting in their biodiversity when compared to humans!

Here are a few facts about the asari’s cultural applications of gender:

• Asari are a mono-gendered species with no concept of gender differences. At the same time, asari are often viewed as an all-female race.
• To humans at least, asari appear female with breasts and voices that sound female. Even among the asari, many individual asari are referred to as “she” and “her“, but some asari prefer male pronouns, while others gravitate toward gender-neutral where language allows.
• Asari also bear feminine titles like “huntress” and “matriarch” and asari offspring are referred to as “daughters“, however the asari may have chosen feminine pronouns to simplify language translations.

And, to tie back to the original point of this post, here are some details about how the asari reproduce:

• Asari can mate and successfully reproduce with any other gender or species through a form of parthenogenesis. Although they have one gender, they are not asexual and do in fact require a partner to reproduce.
• An asari provides two copies of her own genes to her offspring, one of which is passed on unaltered. The second set of genes is altered in a unique process called melding, also known as the joining or the union. During melding, the eyes of the asari initiating the meld dilate as she consciously attunes her nervous system to her partner’s, sending and receiving electrical impulses directly through the skin, however physical contact is not strictly necessary. Effectively, the asari and her partner briefly become one unified nervous system, sharing memories, thoughts, and feelings.
• The offspring is always an asari, regardless of the species or sex of the “father” and in the case that the offspring is of two asari, the father is the one who does not give birth.

So what’s interesting in Peebee’s circumstances is that, due to the nature of sharing memories, thoughts, and feelings during this reproductive cycle, with her father being an elcor, there are unique characteristics that she possesses through her personality and psyche.

The elcor have a rather unique perspective on emotions and communication, so much so that “… a human smile seem[s] as subtle as a fireworks display.” Naturally, it’s come to mean that among the elcor, the smallest of gestures mean the world in terms of communication! Granted, their verbal communication tends to fall ponderous and monotone (so much so that they must prefix their dialogue with an emotive statement: “excited, this is good news to hear”). Additionally, elcor culture is built on small, tight-knit groups.

And we can see this through Peebee’s dialogue and interactions with the Tempest crew!

Even examining her relationship with the Pathfinder alone, Peebee tends to keep most people at an arm’s length and really linger between what she considers to be her home. She constantly holds this “one foot out the door” mentality, and doesn’t become entirely close with the crew (primarily Jaal and the Pathfinder) until they spend time together doing things. A notable example is found in her email after the Pathfinder joins her in zero-g within the Tempest escape pod:

So much better!

To: Ryder

From: Peebee (the chill)

Typically, I’m not the type to send mail. At least, not mail that just reflects or lingers on stuff. But I’m okay letting you know how great our float was for me. And the weird thing is, I think it was actually better with you there. Added a little bumper car whimsy.

Hmm. You might be growing on me a little. Not sure if that’s good or bad. But I’m not going to ponder that right now. Wanna stay chill.

–Peebee

While I can’t say I know this is true for all Asari/outside species offspring, I do think it’s interesting how this may have transferred in Peebee’s circumstances. I believe it may have even played a big role in why her failed relationship with Kalinda is so impactful on her.

And why she gets along with Jaal so well, as angara culture is very emotionally focused as well.