Personality: Whatever else Garrus may be, he is a Turian with a very strong sense of right and wrong (or at least law and order) – this stems partially from his father, who was a Citadel Security officer. Garrus mentions that one of his father's favorite sayings was “Do things right or don't do them at all.” His strong sense of morality may also stem from his traditional Turian upbringing – Turian society calls for Turians to own all of their actions, good or ill, and to have a strong sense of responsibility, both to the self and to the society as a whole. He received military training at the age of fifteen, as all Turians do, but decided to instead enter C-Sec, in imitation of his father.
This strong sense of morality drives Garrus. He has no sympathy for criminals or others who break the law solely for their own benefit or to harm others. However, it also makes him something of a loose cannon at times. His passion for hunting down criminals and making sure that the right people get put away often outstrips his respect for regulations and the letter of the law – he expresses his frustration about the regulations of C-Sec many times to Shepard in Mass Effect 1 and by Mass Effect 2, has reigned from C-Sec in disgust, feeling that the bureaucracy and regulations merely get in the way of hunting down criminals. To Garrus, the most important thing is punishing the guilty – not necessarily doing things by the book.
It also translates into a willingness and a desire to protect those who cannot protect themselves, even if it means working outside of the law. Following Shepard's death, he resigned from C-Sec and traveled to Omega, a lawless asteroid base, and put together a team of mercenaries and other soldiers in order to fight the growing crime and mercenary syndicates. Despite some success, his team was eventually wiped out after one of the members of his squad turned traitor.
That particular incident has had the effect of tempering Garrus' strong moral sensibilities with a disgusted sense of cynicism. When Shepard once again makes contact with Garrus after two years of being dead, Garrus is not the young, eager C-Sec officer he used to be. Although his desire to punish and hunt down wrong-doers is still there, he seems weary and confused about his place in life – partially because of guilt he feels over surviving the destruction of the team he put together and partially because of his own disillusionment with the law enforcement agency he's left behind. Shepard helped him work through most of it, thankfully, but he still has questions regarding where he really belongs. He still struggles with trying to fit his black and white view into a galaxy where things are usually various shades of gray. He continues to have a tough time dealing with failure (whether self-perceived or actual).
Garrus, despite his problems, is a very courteous person to those who are friendly. He'll be reasonably polite, although he tends towards a dry wit and black humor. When roused and angered it takes a friend or someone he respects to talk him down. He also tends towards snark. When openly hostile, he isn't in the least afraid to shoot insults (or bullets or fists) at someone.
Garrus' sense of loyalty and duty is strong – he believes utterly in Shepard and seeks to learn from the more experienced human, both before and after Shepard's death and resurrection. He considers Shepard one of the few friends he has left in the galaxy and has indicated that he's willing to follow Shepard to whatever end might lie in store for them in their fight against the reapers.
Further, Garrus is a “man of action”. He would rather go out and do something than sit around and wait for the end of the world to come. Even if doing something means facing horrifically long odds and possible death. This ties into his strong sense of loyalty, duty and responsibility towards society – if he can act to save not only himself, but others, he will – swiftly and decisively.
Garrus Vakarian 2/3
Whatever else Garrus may be, he is a Turian with a very strong sense of right and wrong (or at least law and order) – this stems partially from his father, who was a Citadel Security officer. Garrus mentions that one of his father's favorite sayings was “Do things right or don't do them at all.” His strong sense of morality may also stem from his traditional Turian upbringing – Turian society calls for Turians to own all of their actions, good or ill, and to have a strong sense of responsibility, both to the self and to the society as a whole. He received military training at the age of fifteen, as all Turians do, but decided to instead enter C-Sec, in imitation of his father.
This strong sense of morality drives Garrus. He has no sympathy for criminals or others who break the law solely for their own benefit or to harm others. However, it also makes him something of a loose cannon at times. His passion for hunting down criminals and making sure that the right people get put away often outstrips his respect for regulations and the letter of the law – he expresses his frustration about the regulations of C-Sec many times to Shepard in Mass Effect 1 and by Mass Effect 2, has reigned from C-Sec in disgust, feeling that the bureaucracy and regulations merely get in the way of hunting down criminals. To Garrus, the most important thing is punishing the guilty – not necessarily doing things by the book.
It also translates into a willingness and a desire to protect those who cannot protect themselves, even if it means working outside of the law. Following Shepard's death, he resigned from C-Sec and traveled to Omega, a lawless asteroid base, and put together a team of mercenaries and other soldiers in order to fight the growing crime and mercenary syndicates. Despite some success, his team was eventually wiped out after one of the members of his squad turned traitor.
That particular incident has had the effect of tempering Garrus' strong moral sensibilities with a disgusted sense of cynicism. When Shepard once again makes contact with Garrus after two years of being dead, Garrus is not the young, eager C-Sec officer he used to be. Although his desire to punish and hunt down wrong-doers is still there, he seems weary and confused about his place in life – partially because of guilt he feels over surviving the destruction of the team he put together and partially because of his own disillusionment with the law enforcement agency he's left behind. Shepard helped him work through most of it, thankfully, but he still has questions regarding where he really belongs. He still struggles with trying to fit his black and white view into a galaxy where things are usually various shades of gray. He continues to have a tough time dealing with failure (whether self-perceived or actual).
Garrus, despite his problems, is a very courteous person to those who are friendly. He'll be reasonably polite, although he tends towards a dry wit and black humor. When roused and angered it takes a friend or someone he respects to talk him down. He also tends towards snark. When openly hostile, he isn't in the least afraid to shoot insults (or bullets or fists) at someone.
Garrus' sense of loyalty and duty is strong – he believes utterly in Shepard and seeks to learn from the more experienced human, both before and after Shepard's death and resurrection. He considers Shepard one of the few friends he has left in the galaxy and has indicated that he's willing to follow Shepard to whatever end might lie in store for them in their fight against the reapers.
Further, Garrus is a “man of action”. He would rather go out and do something than sit around and wait for the end of the world to come. Even if doing something means facing horrifically long odds and possible death. This ties into his strong sense of loyalty, duty and responsibility towards society – if he can act to save not only himself, but others, he will – swiftly and decisively.