Asari

The **Asari** were a sapient species native to the planet Thessia. During the time of the Citadel Council, the Asari were the most influential species in the galactic politics of the Milky Way. Favoring compromise and diplomatic solutions, they helped to found the Citadel Council. They were renowned for elegance, beauty, and an aptitude for psionic and biotic abilities.

Unlike many species, the Asari had only one gender -- which was considered to be female by most of the other species found in the galaxy. Though gendered words had no meaning to the Asari, the insistence of other species to label the members of this species as "she" led them to often use female-gendered pronouns for themselves.

## Physiology

Asari typically had skin that was shades of blue or purple. Some Asari also had naturally occurring patterns on the skin of their faces.

The Asari did not have hair, but their heads were adorned by crests of semi-flexible cartilage that grew into shape. This cartilage was rigid, very unlike hair. Despite the lack of hair, Asari possessed other qualities of mammals -- including live birth, as evidenced by their navels. The Asari also developed breasts as they aged.

Though Asari did not heal faster than other species, their cells regenerated in such a way that it was common for them to live to be roughly 1,000 cycles old.

The Asari were considered attractive by nearly every sapient species. Some believed this was because of the wide variety of similarities they had to other races -- the humanoid shape they shared with numerous species, the fringe on their heads similar to those of the turians, and the skin color similar to numerous species like the Delvians, salarians and saltici. Others theorized that there was a neurochemical compound which caused Asari to attract admirers from any species. It was known that krogan sometimes sought Asari as a means of having children who would not be effected by the Genophage.

### Reproduction

Asari had a unique means of reproduction which allowed them to mate with any member of any gender of any species. Their method of reproduction was not sexual or asexual in nature but involved melding, or "embracing eternity", with a partner. The Asari provided two copies of her DNA for her offspring, one of which was unaltered. The other set was altered while melding. During this process, the Asari's eyes dilated and she consciously attuned her nervous system to that of her partner. As the two became, essentially, one nervous system that shared memories, thoughts, and feelings the Asari sought out desirable attributes to pass onto the offspring and to "map" genetic randomization. Because no genetic material was actually extracted from the partner, the offspring was always Asari. In cases of two Asari melding, the one who did not carry the offspring was considered the "father."

However, the drawback of this process was that some Asari became Ardat-Yakshi. This trait appeared only in pureblood Asari, those with two Asari parents. With the Ardat-Yakshi, their mental powers overtook their partners during the melding and destroyed the partner's mind.

The Asari were capable of melding for the sole purpose of transmitting thoughts and not to reproduce -- similar to the Vulcan Mind Meld or Delvian Unity.

### Life Stages

The Asari life cycle was marked by three critical periods or stages.

* The Maiden Stage - beginning at puberty, young Asari were driven by a need to explore and experience the universe. It was not uncommon for Asari to work as mercenaries during this time.
* The Matron Stage - though this stage could begin early due to life events, it typically began around the 350th cycle of an Asari's life and was marked by a drive to settle down and raise children.
* The Matriarch Stage - like the Matron Stage, this stage could begin early depending upon an Asari's habits. Asari in this stage seldom left Asari space and were frequently councilors and advisers, dispensing wisdom based upon centuries of experience.

## History

*See also: Asari History*

Asari evolution was guided primarily by two things: the presence of Element Zero on their homeworld of Thessia, and the intervention of the Protheans under the guise of Athame. This deception allowed the Protheans to rapidly excelerate the growth of the Asari. The Prothean influence continued to aid technological development for many years even after the Protheans had left Thessia. The Prothean influence, however, was a closely guarded secret known only to the most important, influential leaders of the Asari.

Largely due to this outside influence, the Asari were among the earliest post-Prothean species to develop interstellar travel, and were perhaps the first to discover the mass relay network. They discovered the Citadel and colonized it, sixty cycles before the salarians discovered the station.

## Culture and Society

The long lifespan of the asari gave them a "long view" which most other species lacked. They tended to calmly and patiently observe any situation before making a decision, preferring that to immediate action. Instinctively, asari sought to maintain the balance of all things -- economically, politically, and militarily.

Asari were a deeply communal species, often preferring to sleep in shared spaces even if more private options were available. This also helped them to foster a galactic community -- though they had their own reasons for that as well, since their cultural ideals would eventually influence any culture they were in consistent contact with.

Furthermore, asari found that breeding with other species brought them greater genetic diversity and cultural insight. It became frowned upon to reproduce with other asari, with "pureblood" becoming an insult in asari culture. The increased possibility of creating Ardat-Yakshi was also a reason for frowning upon intraspecies breeding. However, relationships with other species had the additional challenge of knowing that the asari would outlive their companion and most likely raise their offspring alone.

Asari were considered attractive by virtually all other species of the Milky Way -- and they knew it. Young asari often took work as exotic dancers in nightclubs such as Afterlife on Omega. The type of dance practiced by this asari is actually a martial art that employs biotic power as well.

All asari were all natural biotics, though some asari chose not to develop these abilities. This choice had no social stigma attached to it, but it did prevent them from joining the asari military. Other asari would give up nearly all of their possessions to become justicars -- an ancient order with a strict code. Justicars only operated within asari space, harshly correcting injustices. They were not often found outside of asari space, as to avoid diplomatic incidents with other species.

### Religion

Most asari followed a pantheistic religion known as siari, which translated to "all is one." Followers of this faith believed the universe itself was conscious, and that all life was merely an aspect of this consciousness. Death was seen as merging back into the universal consciousness. Siarists did not believe in reincarnation in the strictest sense, but did believe that the spiritual energy that merged back into the universe would fill a new mortal vessel.

Siari became the popular faith of the asari after they discovered their ability to meld with nearly any species -- seeing that as evidence that all life was similar. Before the rise of siari, there was an extremely diverse array of religions practiced by the asari. Most of these religions believed in gods that were separated from the world, looking down on their people from above. The strongest surviving one of these religions is the worship of the goddess Athame.

Although it lost its religious significance, asari celebrated the springtime fertility holiday of Janiris. Originally, this had been a ritualistic event for those who worshipped the goddess Janiri. Ultimately, however, it became a widespread holiday even celebrated by members of other species.

### Government

The asari were relatively late in their development to adopting a world government. For most of its existence, their homeworld was governed by loose confederacies of republican city-states. Due to the asari ideals of consensus and accomodation, there seemed little reason to form larger nations. Eventually, however, they formed "electronic democracies" in the midst of the asari information age. As they colonized new worlds, this led to the creation of the Asari Republics.

With the exception of the Citadel Council representative, there were no elections or politicians. The asari legislature was all-inclusive, any citizen could participate at well. Policy debates occurred at all hours of the day in chat rooms moderated by virtual intelligences. In all debates, however, the opinions of matriarchs tended to be given the most credence due to the wisdom of age behind their words.

### Military

Each asari community organized their own military units as they saw fit. There was no uniform, and the size and make-up and leadership of these units depended entirely upon the size and wealth of the community they hailed from. However, those in military service were considered full-time professionals and were compensated as such.

Asari commandos, also known as huntresses, were typically in their maiden stage of life, having spent 20 or 30 cycles preparing for the career and studying martial arts. As such, they were very proficient at killing. However, they were not proficient at taking fire or defensive tactics. Huntresses typically worked alone or in pairs. As such, they were best suited for special operations or engaged in guerilla tactics.

The asari did possess one of the most powerful navies in the galaxy, including the Destiny Ascension.

## Notable Asari

* Aria T'Loak
* Matriarch Benezia
* Liara T'Soni
* Morinth
* Pelessaria "Peebee" B'Sayle
* Samara

## Source

The Asari are derived from *Mass Effect*. For canon information, please visit:

* Mass Effect Wiki