History Awesome / MassEffect1

** You have to admit, galaxy-spanning genocide notwithstanding, that is a ''very'' clever plan.

--> '''Shepard:''' The Captain gave up everything so I could have this chance. We ''can't'' fail.

** Prior to that, Balak's lieutenant has grown uncomfortable with the plan of destroying the entire planet with the AsteroidDrop, saying he only signed on for a simple slave grab. While Paragon Shepard will let him go in exchange for his access card to the central location, Renegade Shepard honestly makes out much better in their response to the slaver.

--> '''Shepard:''' Humanity ''needs'' to do this. Not just for our own sake, but for the sake of every other species in Citadel space. Saren must be stopped, and I promise you all, we ':will'' stop him!

* Your very introduction. It begins with Shepard's background and skills being lauded by Anderson, Udina, and Hackett, depending on what you choose in the character creation. Then we get the title screen and increasingly epic, sweeping music as your character is followed from behind on their way to the cockpit, then the camera sweeps around to show you in a manner that screams, "the hero is here and it's you". It sets the scene and establishes your character very well.

--> '''Shepard:''' Humanity *needs* to do this. Not just for our own sake, but for the sake of every other species in Citadel space. Saren must be stopped, and I promise you all, we *will* stop him!

--> '''Shepard:''' The Captain gave up everything so I could have this chance. We *can't* fail.

*** And in 3, ''she'' gets the chance to punch ''you''. And if you deny her that, ''you'' can headbutt her, krogan style. Hilarious and awesome.
*** Better yet, take the interview, make your choices wisely and you can make her come across as a ''raving idiot. Across Citadel Space''. Hackett will be impressed with such clever way to look themselves presentable

*** And in 3, ''she'' gets the chance to punch ''you''. Hilarious and awesome.
*** Better yet, take the interview, make your choices wisely and you can make her come across as a ''raving idiot. Across Citadel Space''. Hackett will be impressed with that.
* Captain Kirrahe's epic "We will [[HoldTheLine hold the line]]!" speech. Quoted here in all its glory:

--> '''Shepard:''' For too long, our species has stood apart from the others. Now it's time for us to step up and do our part for the restoration the galaxy. Time to show them what humans are made of!

'''Shepard:''' Our enemy knows we're coming. When we go into the Traverse, Saren's followers will be waiting for us. But we'll be ready for them too!
'''Shepard:''' Humanity *needs* to do this. Not just for our own sake, but for the sake of every other species in Citadel space. Saren must be stopped, and I promise you all, we *will* stop him!

'''Shepard:''' The Captain gave up everything so I could have this chance. We *can't* fail.

* The first time you arrive on The Citadel you run into a rear admiral for The Alliance sent in to inspect the ship. The instant he's done he whines about everything about it from the way it's designed to how much money you spent on it saying you could've spent the money on tanks and guns instead. Then he turns on you about your crew choices, specifically your '''alien''' crew choices going as far to demand what you were thinking. The response to this? Telling him that your crew choices are your own and one intimidate option saying that he's parroting the ItWillNeverCatchOn sayings that commanders have been wrong about throughout history, bringing the rear admiral up short saying that some of those vehicles (like F-14s) ''are still in service''! Yes you can get someone to admit that you have a point simply by reviewing history.

-->“You all know the mission, and what is at stake.
-->I have come to trust each of you with my life -- but I have also heard murmurs of discontent. I share your concerns.
-->We are trained for espionage; we would be legends, but the records are sealed. Glory in battle is not our way.
-->Think of our heroes; the Silent Step, who defeated a nation with a single shot. Or the Ever Alert, who kept armies at bay with hidden facts.
-->These giants do not seem to give us solace here, but they are not all that we are.
-->Before the network, there was the fleet. Before diplomacy, there were soldiers!
-->Our influence stopped the rachni, but before that we held the line!
-->Our influence stopped the krogan, but before that, we held the line!
-->Our influence will stop Saren; in the battle today, we will hold the line!”

-->'''Shepard:''': You're a bean counter, Jeong. I'm a Spectre. Tell me, how good are those odds?

-->'''Finch:''' When we're through telling our story, the aliens will all know what the first human Spectre really is!
-->'''Shepard:''' No. They won't. '''*BLAM*'''

-->'''Talitha:''' [[Film/{{Aliens}} Will I have bad dreams?]]
-->'''Shepard:''' [[SugarWiki/HeartwarmingMoments You'll dream of a warm place. And when you wake up, you'll be in it.]]

-->'''Shepard''': I'm not going to lie to you. I don't know. But you're strong enough to face it.

-->'''Balak:''' I gave you a chance to save them and you threw it away! [[YourTerroristsAreOurFreedomFighters Who's the real terrorist?]]"
-->'''Shepard:''' You. But you're dead. '''*BLAM*'''

-->'''Shepard:''' With all due respect, she was going to twist my words no matter what I said.
-->'''Shepard:''' The Council can kiss my ass. I'm entitled to my own opinions.

-->'''Hackett:''' I didn't think it could be done, Commander. You managed to secure the base and neutralize the biotics without a single civilian casualty.
-->'''Shepard:''' Just doing my job, Admiral. I couldn't let innocent lives be lost.
-->'''Hackett:''' I wish every soldier had your definition of "just doing your job." You're a credit to the uniform, Shepard.

-->'''Shepard:''' Have you ever hunted, Simon? Stalked an animal in the wilderness?
-->'''Simon:''' Can't say that I have.
-->'''Shepard:''' Hunting an animal requires patience and discipline. I'll wait for this batarian animal to pop his head up again. And then, I'll come down upon him like the wrath of God.

Awesome moments in VideoGame/MassEffect1:

* Your very introduction. It begins with Shepard's background and skills being lauded by Anderson, Udina, and Hackett, depending on what you choose in the character creation. Then we get the title screen and increasingly epic, sweeping music as your character is followed from behind on their way to the cockpit, then the camera sweeps around to show you in a manner that screams, "the hero is here and it's you". It sets the scene and establishe your character very well.

* Each of the backgrounds has its own badass CMOA. War Hero has Shepard saving the entire colony of Elysium from an army of pirates and slavers by rallying the civilian population and then [[YouShallNotPass holding back an entire enemy platoon]] ''[[OneManArmy singlehandedly]]''? While only being on the planet for [[BusmansHoliday shore leave]] in the first place? Badass. Ruthless has you and your unit hunt slavers to the last man, despite taking immense casualties, taking a long time. Sole Survivor has you evade thresher maws after they wipe out your unit. This doesn't sound like much until you meet a thresher maw, which the military recommends you take on with tanks, and they are damn hard to survive even then.

-->'''Shepard:''' Hunting an animal requires patience and discipline. I'll wait for this batarian animal to pop his head up again. And then, I'll come down upon him like the wrath of God.

* The Renegade ending, where ''humanity'' gets a SugarWiki/MomentOfAwesome, presenting the fact that they saved the universe as a good reason to take it over.

* The closing shot of ''1'' either has Shepard doing a heroic stance as a Paragon as seen in the Trope Image above, or [[https://i.ytimg.com/vi/5gtSB8MD4dk/maxresdefault.jpg staring at the viewer holding an SMG]] in the Renegade version, essentially saying BringIt to the Reapers.

* At Zhu's Hope, saving all sixteen colonists, resulting in a gigantic +32 Paragon reward, the highest jump in the game.

* [[spoiler:Disabling the Thorian-controlled colonists instead of killing them]] may be difficult (especially if you run out of grenades and have to resort to melee attacks), but seeing the "Paragon+ 32/Renegade+ 0" message at the end makes it all worth it.

** [[spoiler:The Intimidate option for this is especially awesome. The Charm option is pretty cool, convincing Saren to seek redemption -- but if you choose Intimidate, Shepard rolls out of cover, stares Saren down, appeals to the soldier in him, and tells him there's still one way out, if he's got the ''guts''. It's the moment when Shepard not only proves he's got what it takes as a Spectre, but the moment he surpasses Saren, his most dangerous rival, as a grade-A badass.]]

* The Renegade ending, where ''humanity'' gets a CrowningMomentOfAwesome, presenting the fact that they saved the universe as a good reason to take it over.

* One of the other backgrounds has Shepard try and talk a slave out of suicide, having almost been a slave themselves, which is a CrowningMomentOfHeartwarming. Afterwards Shepard is asked by the officer concerned about the girl what the point is to fighting and we get this exchange.

-->'''Shepard:''' [[CrowningMomentOfHeartwarming You'll dream of a warm place. And when you wake up, you'll be in it.]]

* At the end of the game, [[spoiler:Shepard and his/her party land in the Citadel by going through a mass relay. Not special? They do it inside the Mako (a six-wheeled moon-buggy tank), killing numerous [[{{Mooks}} geth]] in the process]].

** And then the geth shut down the elevator to impede you. Instead of letting something trivial like that stop him/her, [[PlayerCharacter Shepard]] [[spoiler:shoots out the glass and starts fighting an army of geth ''up the side of the tower'']]. Complete with [[spoiler:Sovereign steadily getting larger and larger, looming overhead as you fight your way toward the top]]. Then, when you reach the end, [[spoiler:you get the chance to [[TalkingTheMonsterToDeath convince]] Saren to ''[[BetterToDieThanBeKilled willingly shoot himself in the head]]'']].

** There's something extremely uplifting and heartwarming as Shepard climbs down from the rubble and smiles at his/her friends.

* One of the other backgrounds has Shepard try and talk a slave out of suicide, having almost been a slave him/herself, which is a CrowningMomentOfHeartwarming. Afterwards Shepard is asked by the officer concerned about the girl what the point is to fighting and we get this exchange.

* After fighting Saren on Virmire, he knocks Shepard down with biotics, picks him/her up by the throat, and dangles him/her over a ledge. Just before he can drop Shepard, Saren gets distracted by an explosion. He glances to one side, and Shepard punches him in the face. To reiterate in its full awesomeness: while being held over a cliff by his/her ''throat'', Shepard punches an elite soldier with far more training than him/her [[spoiler:and who is TheDragon to a race of EldritchAbomination ships that wipe out all life in the galaxy on regular basis]] ''right in the face''.

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