There's no question that the Normandy is an iconic part of the original Mass Effect trilogy, almost as important to Shepard's crew as its squad . It acts as the means of transportation for the player and their companions throughout every game, despite its destruction in the first game, since it gets rebuilt by Cerberus. No matter how many renovations it undergoes, it remains the same ship at its core.

The oft-maligned ending of Mass Effect 3 did, in fact, see the Normandy SR-2 survive the Reaper war, though it is clearly damaged by a crash landing on a forested planet. There is an opportunity for Bioware to bring the ship back in Mass Effect 5, but should they? The fan base is somewhat divided on whether the new game should feature a new ship or stick with the old reliable. And for good reason: there are pros and cons to keeping the Normandy in the spotlight, which deserve to be discussed.

Is The Normandy Returning In Mass Effect 5?

What We Know So Far

News around the as-of-yet untitled Mass Effect 5 is still scarce, and while Liara T'soni's return is all but confirmed, there is no direct news on the Normandy. It hasn't been pictured in any trailers or promotional material yet, though there's plenty of time for it to be unveiled, given how far we are from release. The only thing that can be said is that it's possible for the Normandy to make a comeback, given how the trilogy wrapped up.

It's a beloved part of the series; it was shown to survive the trilogy's ending and will provide some familiarity for long-time fans. Andromeda's Tempest was a fine ship, though it undoubtedly had its detractors. It suffered from comparisons to the Normandy, which ultimately lowered fans' opinions of it. The series might want something fresh, and introducing a new ship could be a great way to do that.

Why The Normandy Should Return In ME5

The Case For The Return Of This Beloved Ship

On the "pros" side of things, the Normandy carries a lot of history with it that players would likely enjoy exploring. From the wall of commemorative plaques that list the fallen crew ' names to the different rooms that followers like Liara, Javik, and Garrus made their own, there's a lot there that would certainly bring up some nostalgia for players of the first three games. Not to mention, it would provide connections to those squad mate characters and possibly even hints as to what happened to them after the war.

And it's not like the Normandy couldn't be updated, improved, or even just further explored. The same ship exists between Mass Effect's 2 and 3, though there are some obvious differences in organization and even the rooms that Shepard can explore. The ship could definitely stand to be updated to make the placement of crew more dynamic and decrease loading times when visiting different areas. A new ship wouldn't be necessary for that; Mass Effect's Normandy could manage it fine while still bringing the weight of that original ship with it.

Why Mass Effect 5 Should Feature A New Ship

Points Towards Introducing A New Spacefaring Vessel

On the other hand, introducing a new ship has many benefits. If the franchise moves away from having Shepard as the protagonist, introducing a new character only to have them command the same ship might put them a little too far into the old commander's shadow. A new ship could also bring a new design and technological abilities to reflect a Milky Way post-war with the Reapers.

The Normandy was a hybrid Turian-human ship design, representing the tense but working relations between the two species in the first game. A new ship could go in a different direction to reflect new conflicts.

Especially if the new game will exist in a world where the mass relays are broken or damaged, a new ship might be necessary to explain the player traveling from cluster to cluster. The Normandy stood out from other ships in past games because of its speed and stealth capabilities, but a new ship could be special for the sheer distances it can traverse across space on its own. Ultimately, bringing in a new vessel or sticking with the Normandy are both good options, and it simply remains to be seen where the next Mass Effect ends up.