Way species participating in the Andromeda Initiative, a civilian project which sends settlers on board "ark ships" on a one-way trip to the Andromeda Galaxy prior to the events of Mass Effect 3. Two asari characters join the crew of the Andromeda Initiative Survey Ship Tempest: Dr. Lexi T'Perro, a medical doctor who arrived in the Andromeda Galaxy on board the human Ark ship, and Pelessaria "Peebee" B'Sayle, who accompanies the human Pathfinder as a squad mate or companion. In other media The asari are featured as a themed skin for Anthem player characters, released on November 7, 2019, in commemoration of "N7 Day", an informal celebration of the Mass Effect franchise observed annually. Analysis GameSpot uploaded a video in April 2012 which analyzed the plausibility of life in other parts of the universe, and if complex extraterrestrial life exists, the probability of convergent evolution which the Mass Effect series has adopted for the conception of most of its alien races. The asari's physiology and gender status was compared to that of hermaphroditic animal species found on Earth, such as snails. In Chapter 4 of the 2017 book Digital Love: Romance and Sexuality in Games, Alexandra Lucas analyzed the asari life cycle, which is inspired by the Triple Goddess archetype, and suggested that it promotes a comprehensive representation of female sexuality in video games. Jordan Youngblood drew attention to the parallels between the Ardat-Yakshi and the term sinthomosexuality as proposed by Lee Edelman: "the cultural fantasy that conjures homosexuality, and with it the definitional importance of sex in our imagining of homosexuality, in intimate relation to a fatal, and even murderous, jouissance”. Youngblood considered Ardat-Yakshi characters like Samara's daughter Morinth to be representations of the "fatal lure of sterile, narcissistic enjoyments” as well as problematic assumptions about the lives of queer-identifying individuals. Reception The asari has been the subject of varied critical commentary; most critics recognize the asari's potential as a form of social commentary as well as a critical exploration of gender identities, but differed on opinion with regards to the effectiveness of their depiction within the series. Bob Mackey from 1UP highlighted the paradox of their role within the series as its most dignified race due to their "long-lived and well-preserved nature", as well as a blatant substitute "for all the green alien babes that Captain James T. Kirk would bed". Lucas summarized the polarized opinions of the