Conrad Verner
When you first meet Conrad Verner in Mass Effect, he simply comes off as a creepy fanboy, asking for Shepard’s autograph and begging to become a Spector.
When you run back into him in Mass Effect 2, though, you realize he is the only thing that has been keeping the universe together in Shepard’s absence. Just look at how this brave soul donned fake N7 armor and protected the Citadel from a dangerous Red Sand drug ring – that may or may not have turned out to be fake – if you need proof of his valor.
On top of this might and bravery, we also learn in Mass Effect 3 that Verner is actually kind of a genius. No, I’m not kidding. If you follow a couple of side quests from the previous games, it is revealed that Verner did his doctoral dissertation on Xenotechnology and dark energy integration.
The combination of all of these skills proves that adding Verner to the party would have overshadowed Shepard, as the fan would have eventually become the master through sheer, annoying persistence.
