Tali's Mother - Bisexual?

[Bara_no_Hime]

Okay everyone, here's a weird topic. Technically spoilers for Mass Effect 1 and 2, so be warned.

During Mass Effect 2, Tali states that linking suits is a sign that one is interested in a sexual relationship.

Admiral Shala'Raan vas Tonbay, aka "Auntie Raan," states that she synchronized suits with Tali's mother. Further, she has clearly acted as a mother figure to Tali (she calls her Auntie) since her mother's death.

In the first game, Tali described her father as distant.

Yes, I know she says that she did this so she could be in the clean room with Tali's mom, but... why would Shala need to be out of her suit for a delivery? If she could keep her suit on, then she wouldn't need to synchronize it. In fact, the only reason to synchronize is if Shala'Raan needed to be naked as well.

So yeah... was Tali's mom having an affair with Shala'Raan vas Tonbay?

Edit:
"Auntie" Raan is not Tali's biological aunt. She has no biological relation to Tali's family. It is merely a term of endearment. Also, for the record, calling the family's gay friend an "aunt" or "uncle" is a fairly common practice. Sort of like calling two lesbians "cousins".

Also, it has been pointed out that Tali was originally supposed to be a bisexual option - she is fully voiced for a relationship with Fem Shep, but Shep even though Tali says the line that instigates romance for both Sheps, only Male Shep is given the reply that begins the relationship. So, if the programmers/writers/voice actors were working off the assumption that Tali was Bi, isn't it possible that this very ambiguous possibility was created to foreshadow Tali's sexuality and create a parallel within quarian culture?

 

[Dragunai]

Expect vast quantities of male "Hooray for alien lesbians" comments.
Personally I think you are paying way too much attention to a sub character and a fictional relationship / background.

Truth be told I dont even remember the whole "Linking suits" thing but then again I didnt get the sex achievement in 1 and I made Miranda my ***** in 2 so... meh.

 

[MasterChief892039]

I don't think linking suits is exclusively sexual. I think it more a way to show your dedication and trust of another, thus why she linked suits in order to be there for Tali's mom. These are beings that can never get to see their friends faces or touch each other for fear of getting sick and/or dying - is it so strange that they might want to be in the same room as their loved ones (platonic or no) for big moments in their lives without full-body suits in their way?

Interesting theory, don't think I agree with it. And really, would it matter either way?

 

[freakydan]

There could have been the fear that germs could be clinging to the suit. Do they ever specifically state that the delivering doctor is in a suit or that it hasn't been sterilized? I guess your theory holds some water, but so do a few others.

 

[Bara_no_Hime]

Interesting theory, don't think I agree with it. And really, would it matter either way?

Actually, I mostly ask because I wonder about Quarian society.

Tali isn't given as a romance option for Fem Shep, apparently because she's straight. That's fine. But it makes me wonder about quarian society. Their marriages seem very business-like - create genetically diverse children, of the correct amount, to keep the population steady. Tali's father is a work-aholic, so he's not around much. It seems logical that Tali's mother might look for companionship elsewhere.

Also, Tali indicates that, even though she has feelings for Shep (if you play a male Shep and romance her) that she expects to return to the flotilla and have a family there someday, even though she's in love with you. That particularly makes it seem like marriage is more about reproduction than love among the quarians.

Tali indicates that more casual sexual relationships take place with the suits still on, using feedback stimulation (ie, full feedback simulation via suits). That also explains the quarian/human relationship you hear about in that bar. Thing is, that's also the ultimate in safe sex - which, logically, would result (over time) in a more sexually relaxed society. After all, if there's no risk, then what's the harm in a little bisexual exploration.

Anyway, that's what I was thinking.

 

[mireko]

Linking suits is intimate, but not necessarily sexual. There isn't much in the way of actual suggestion in the game itself.

However, Shala'raan does have an oddly compelling voice.

Sure, let's run with it.

 

[Bara_no_Hime]

I don't think so. Quarians never leave their suits, because even the common cold is potentially fatal to them. They reproduce through through artificial gestation if memory serves. It's quite possible that sex is an...if you'll pardon the unintentional pun...an alien concept to Quarians.

Your memory does not serve - Tali specifically states that Quarians who have synchronized suits have sex in clean rooms for the purpose of reproduction. Nowhere in ME2 does Tali mention using artificial gestation.

Novels, I have no idea about, but one must assume that things specifically said in ME2 trump the novels.

 

[Bara_no_Hime]

Truth be told I dont even remember the whole "Linking suits" thing but then again I didnt get the sex achievement in 1 and I made Miranda my ***** in 2 so... meh.

Tali only mentions it during the romance option - she says that she's only met one person she'd want to do so with, and they aren't quarian, so it doesn't matter. Shep is like "thanks" and Tali says that to ask implies a desire for sexual intimacy, and, upon realizing what she just implied, gets very embarrassed and admits to having romantic feelings towards Shep.

Just hearing Tali get flustered trying to explain all this is worth playing a Male Shep (which I only did for the chance to romance Tali - fem Shep all the way!). The dialog is very funny.

Edit: Anyway, I was replaying her loyalty mission today and chatting up the other quarians and "Auntie Raan" mentioned linking suits with Tali's mom. And I was like "wait a minute!"

 

[johnzaku]

Maybe because childbirth is a very personal experience and she felt the need to be there with her best friend.

Though yeah you may also have a point.

 

[Freechoice]

We don't need moar ho yay, we need les yay.

 

[The Madman]

It's possible to be close to someone without wanting to shag em.

 

[Bara_no_Hime]

Maybe because childbirth is a very personal experience and she felt the need to be there with her best friend.

Though yeah you may also have a point.

I can see having her friend there, but they can sterilize the outside of the suits fairly well (Tali asks for a sterilization crew to meet her when she returns for the Trial). Also, there's no implication that the doctors have to go in without suits on.

I mean, think about it - what if a quarian was wounded. Would the doctor have to make them sick in order to treat them? They must have a way of super-sterilizing the outside of doctor suits. So if Raan just wanted to hold her hand, she could have done it with the suit on (even if she had to change into a doctor suit for safety).

I realize this may have just been a logical inconsistency on the part of the writers (not the first, not the last), but I wonder. Tali's dad is kind of an absentee father, and they make a real point of mentioning both that they linked suits and that quarians generally only link suits with people they want to be naked with. And, while naked is not necessarily sexual (breast-feeding children, for instance) it does seem unusual.

Anyway, I mostly just wanted to share this little point of interest. I think it adds some interesting dimensions to quarian culture.

 

[Bara_no_Hime]

It's possible to be close to someone without wanting to shag em.

Quarians can be close within their suits - they have full biofeedback. So holding hands in suits is like holding hands without suits, but less infecty.

I'm just pointing out that Tali herself indicates that taking such an action is an indication of sexual interest. And her dad is usually on that research ship, messing around with geth. A woman has needs, after all, particularly on those long, lonely pilgrimage fleet nights.

 

[WorldCritic]

Somehow I doubt it, but I don't even remember the dialogue all that well. All I do know is that I think you may be reading a bit too much into it.

 

[mireko]

We don't need moar ho yay, we need les yay.

So true.

It's possible to be close to someone without wanting to shag em.

Quarians can be close within their suits - they have full biofeedback. So holding hands in suits is like holding hands without suits, but less infecty.

I'm just pointing out that Tali herself indicates that taking such an action is an indication of sexual interest. And her dad is usually on that research ship, messing around with geth. A woman has needs, after all, particularly on those long, lonely pilgrimage fleet nights.

This also kind of makes sense. In my FemShep playthroughs (which is all of them), Tali mentions in passing that the only person she'd ever consider linking a suit environment with is Shepard. I couldn't tell if she meant that sexually, but she did sound kind of embarrassed.

EDIT: You already mentioned that, my bad.

Maybe if the Quarians hadn't created a race of killer robots, they would have the same kind of reputation as the Asari.

 

[Bobbity]

I'm thinking that we might be making a tad too much of it
I doubt Bioware secretly wrote in Tali's mother's lesbian relationship, just for shit and giggles.

It's much more likely that this linking of suits is an expression of intimacy, which may or may not concern a romantically linked couple.

 

[Gindil]

Expect vast quantities of male "Hooray for alien lesbians" comments.
Personally I think you are paying way too much attention to a sub character and a fictional relationship / background.

Truth be told I dont even remember the whole "Linking suits" thing but then again I didnt get the sex achievement in 1 and I made Miranda my ***** in 2 so... meh.

I can just see the fan fiction now...

 

[Lizmichi]

Suit liking is a sign of trust and respect to Quarians. That's all it was and never did Shala'Raan vas Tonbay say anything about being out of her suit, just that she linked suits with Tali's mother.

 

[mireko]

On a related note, how much do you want to bet that Sovereign was actually a pride demon infesting a sentient AI onboard a pre-Prothean battleship?

 

[Bara_no_Hime]

This also kind of makes sense. In my FemShep playthroughs (which is all of them), Tali mentions in passing that the only person she'd ever consider linking a suit environment with is Shepard. I couldn't tell if she meant that sexually, but she did sound kind of embarrassed.

EDIT: You already mentioned that, my bad.

Maybe if the Quarians hadn't created a race of killer robots, they would have the same kind of reputation as the Asari.

It makes me so sad that Tali will sort of hit on you as Fem Shep, but you have no ability to respond. Why-oh-why didn't they make everyone Bi like in Dragon Age 2? **sigh**

Anyway...

Actually, I think creating the race of killer robots might have helped. If they are all bi, it might well be because of living in suits and needing to control reproduction so much. Marriage became a reproductive responsibility, not love, so love found its own way. ^^ Thought of that way, it's kind of romantic.