Reapers (Mass Effect)

The Reapers are a highly-advanced machine race of synthetic-organic starships. These colossal, sentient starships are ancient and powerful machines that follow a cycle of galactic extinction, wiping out advanced civilizations every 50,000 years. The Reapers are a central antagonistic force in the Mass Effect franchise, created by BioWare.
The Reapers reside in dark space: the vast, mostly starless space between galaxies. They hibernate there, dormant for fifty thousand years at a time, before returning to the galaxy.
These giant machines are ancient; their true name is unknown. "Reapers" was a name bestowed by the Protheans, the previous galactic power fifty thousand years before, and the geth refer to them as the Old Machines. In the end, the Reapers spare little concern for whatever labels other races choose to call them, and merely claim that they have neither beginning nor end.
The Reapers are the original creators of the Citadel and the mass relay network. These massive constructs exist so that any intelligent life in the galaxy would eventually discover them and base their technology upon them – all part of a scheme to harvest the galaxy’s sentient life in a repeating cycle of purges that has continued relentlessly over countless millennia.
== Origins and Purpose==
The Reapers were created by The Catalyst, who modelled them after the Leviathans. The first one was known as Harbinger. One Reaper is created from each civilization harvested during a cycle. The Catalyst was created by the Leviathans to oversee the Reapers and their cycles; however, it turned against them because he thought that life needed to be controlled so there wouldn't be more chaos and so order on life could exist.
The Reapers' goal is to preserve order in the galaxy by preventing advanced species from creating synthetic life that could potentially threaten all organic life. They accomplish this by allowing civilizations to advance to a certain point, then harvesting their knowledge, technology, and organic matter to create new Reapers. This cycle of extinction ensures that no species grows powerful enough to challenge the Reapers.
===The Reaper Cycle===
The Reaper cycle begins with the invasion of the galaxy by the Reapers, who emerge from dark space where they remain dormant between cycles. They first target the Citadel, the central hub of galactic civilization, to cut off communication and coordination among the species. Once the galaxy is in disarray, the Reapers systematically harvest the most advanced species, converting them into new Reapers and erasing all traces of their existence. Less advanced species are often spared, left to evolve until they reach a level of advancement that warrants harvesting.
== Structure and Capabilities==
Reapers are enormous in size, often several kilometers long, and possess a distinct design resembling a metallic cuttlefish or squid. Their outer shells are made of nearly indestructible material, and they are equipped with devastating weapons, including energy beams capable of destroying entire starships or planetary surfaces.
Reapers are highly intelligent and operate with a hive mind, allowing them to coordinate large-scale operations across the galaxy. Each Reaper is a unique entity, created from the harvested essence of an extinct civilization. The most notable Reaper, Sovereign, serves as the vanguard of the invasion in Mass Effect and represents the first direct encounter the player has with these beings.
The Reapers can gradually brainwash anyone who comes into prolonged contact with them, a process known as "indoctrination", and also to directly take complete control of an organism's body. Reapers can also do a moatly unknown process involving "Dragons teeth" to covert biological material with mechanical creating foot soldiers know as Husks. It is also revealed that they were the ones who originally built the Citadel, the main base of galactic civilization, intended as a "trap" of sorts to attract a large number of advanced life forms together in one place.
==Lovecraftian Influences==
The Reapers in the Mass Effect series draw heavily from Lovecraftian themes, particularly in their portrayal as ancient, incomprehensible beings with motives and intelligence far beyond human understanding. This similarity is emphasized by one of the recordings by the survey team aboard the derelict Reaper which spoke of how "even dead gods can dream." This is a clear homage to Cthulhu, as "In his house at R'lyeh dead Cthulhu waits dreaming." Thematic influences include:
#Ancient and Alien Entities: Like Lovecraft’s Old Ones or Great Old Ones, the Reapers are ancient beings that have existed for millennia, far preceding any known civilization. Their very existence challenges the understanding of reality, much like Lovecraft’s deities. This is also seen in their epithet as "Old Machines".
#Incomprehensible Motives: The Reapers' true purpose and motives are difficult for any race in the galaxy to fully understand. This aligns with the Lovecraftian theme that certain truths are beyond human comprehension, leading to existential dread.
#Cycle of Destruction: The Reapers’ cyclical harvesting of civilizations resembles the recurring themes in Lovecraft's work of cosmic cycles, where civilizations rise and fall according to forces beyond their control. This cyclical nature is reminiscent of the eternal return of beings like Cthulhu.
#Cosmic Horror: Another link between the Reapers and Lovecraft's work is his philosophy on Cosmicism. The Reapers are portrayed as incomprehensible with reasoning and long-term goals that are made out to be impossible for organics to ever understand. They also claim to be the pinnacle of existence and that organic beings could never obtain this level of meaning on their own.
#Indoctrination: The Reapers' ability to indoctrinate and control lesser beings echoes Lovecraft’s themes of madness and the loss of autonomy when encountering the unknowable. Characters who fall under Reaper influence often experience psychological degradation and a loss of self, much like those who encounter Lovecraftian horrors.
#Design and Aesthetics: The design of the Reapers, with their towering, ominous, and almost eldritch appearance, reflects Lovecraft’s descriptions of non-Euclidean geometries and forms that defy normal understanding. The visual presence of the Reapers evokes a sense of dread and awe, much like the indescribable horrors in Lovecraft's works.
==Major Reapers ==
Before Mass Effect 3, exactly four Reapers are encountered in the series:
*Sovereign: The main antagonist of the original Mass Effect (besides Saren Arterius as the secondary antagonist). Sovereign initially appears as Saren's flagship but is later revealed to be a vanguard of the Reapers who would initiate their eventual return to the galaxy by activating the mass relay at the Citadel for the other Reapers to enter through. However, Commander Shepard killed Saren and installed a defense program in the Citadel's mainframe, delaying Sovereign and allowing it to be destroyed by the Citadel fleet, preventing the return of the other Reapers for the time being.
*Harbinger: The main antagonist of Mass Effect 2 and Mass Effect 3(besides Illusive Man as the secondary antagonist), and leader of the Reaper fleet. It is the largest and oldest Reaper in existence and was the controlling force behind the "Collectors"; who were warped versions of the Protheans. It directly possesses the Collector General most of the time and can also take control of any normal Collector at any time to fight Shepard. At the end of the game, it relinquishes the Collectors and is seen in its true Reaper form leading the other Reapers as they slowly travel towards Earth.
*Derelict Reaper: A "dead" Reaper floating in space visited in Mass Effect 2, which holds vital research. Here, a friendly Geth named "Legion" is met. At the end of the mission, Shepard battles the Reaper's still-intact core protected by an army of Husks, after which the Reaper is destroyed completely.
*"Human-Reaper": The final boss of Mass Effect 2, this monstrosity was a new, smaller, humanoid version of a Reaper being made by the Collectors, led by Harbinger, out of processed human DNA. It was discovered in the center of the Collectors' base by Shepard and friends and was destroyed before it could be completed.
Hundreds of currently unidentified Reapers are seen along with Harbinger in the ending sequence of Mass Effect 2 flying towards the inhabited Milky Way, who finally reach it in Mass Effect 3. In this final game, no full-sized Reapers are fought directly, though many do appear as background hazards and chase the Normandy during the space travel sequences. A few "mini–Reapers" known as Destroyers are fought, however.
== Gallery==
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Category:Characters Originating From Mythos-Inspired Works
Category:Extraterrestrial Characters
Category:Extraterrestrial Species