The krogan are a fictional extraterrestrial humanoid species in the Mass Effect multimedia franchise developed by BioWare and published by Electronic Arts. A member of the species is first introduced in the 2007 novel Mass Effect: Revelation. The krogan are typically depicted as large reptilian bipedal humanoids who are physically tenacious, favor mercenary work, and thrive on conflict and violence. The krogan are native to the planet Tuchanka, which is presented as a post-apocalyptic wasteland as a result of the krogan's global thermonuclear civil war in the distant past. The krogan are presented as having a complicated relationship with the rest of the Milky Way galactic civilizations, especially the salarians; a past conflict led to the other interstellar species unleashing a genetically engineered biological weapon called the genophage on the krogan, drastically reducing their population and potentially driving the species to a slow and inevitable extinction. From a design perspective, krogan faces are inspired by bats. Their bodies are covered in a thick exoskeleton which is expressive of their battle-hardened nature. Animation limitations meant that krogan's design had to be tweaked in order to fit into human animation skeletons, which prompted the developers to increase the size of their back area in order to maintain the species' intimidating image. The krogan have appeared in most Mass Effect games and media, and are available as playable characters in the multiplayer modes for Mass Effect 3 and Mass Effect: Andromeda. Major characters include Urdnot Wrex, Grunt, Urdnot "Eve" Bakara, Nakmor Drack, and Nakmor Kesh. The krogan are the central figures of the krogan genophage storyline, which spans most of the original Mass Effect trilogy and is referenced in Mass Effect: Andromeda. The storyline has received a very positive critical reception and is praised for its moral complexity and nuanced writing, in particular for its effectiveness as a plot device to create friction between alien species as well as a method to develop several characters of the series.
Background Within the series, the krogan are described as having warred over dwindling habitable land on Tuchanka thousands of years before the events of the Mass Effect trilogy. Nuclear weapons were deployed in such numbers that the krogan created a nuclear winter and transformed their planet into a radioactive wasteland. The krogan were reduced to primitive, warring clans as a result. Two thousand years before the events of the original trilogy, the salarians "culturally uplifted" the krogan by intervening in their development. The krogan were given faster-than-light technology by salarians, rather than discovering or developing it on their own, and were relocated to a new habitable world to live on. This was motivated by the salarians' desire to manipulate the krogan as soldiers to combat the rachni, who were winning a war against the Council at the time. Within two krogan generations, the krogan had the numbers to not only defeat the rachni for the council, but also push them back to their home world and commit genocide on the species. As reward for their efforts, the krogan were awarded former rachni worlds and several other planets in Citadel space to settle. Their fallen were even honored with a monument in the Citadel, which still exists in the trilogy's timeline. However, the salarians' gambit backfired when the krogan population, uncontrolled by natural predators or harsh environments, exploded. Facing a population crisis, the krogan forcefully extended their dominion to other planets The krogan eventually founded a colony on the asari world of Lusia and refuse to leave. In response, the Council ordered the Spectres, special forces personnel originally founded to keep the krogan in check, to strike at the krogan, who retaliated and sparked the Krogan Rebellions. The Citadel Council also made first contact with the Turian Hierarchy, who eventually join the war against the krogan. The Krogan Rebellions continued unabated as the krogan were able to persist due to their high birth-rate. The turians eventually deployed the genophage, a biological weapon developed by salarian scientists, on the krogan. This forced the krogan to accept the turian terms of surrender. Once hailed as the saviors of the galaxy from the rachni, their role at the center of the Citadel military has been replaced by the turians, and are a shadow of their former prominence by the events of the original trilogy. Due to the genophage, which causes near-total sterilization of the krogan, their birth rate have plummeted with only 1 in 1000 krogan births being viable.
Concept and design
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