“You humans have a saying: A long time ago, in a galaxy far, far away…” is what it would sound like mixing iconic lines from theMass EffectandStar Warsfranchises. And when it comes to combining the two space operas' iconic visuals, oneMass Effectfan’s permanent tattoo serves as a perfect example of how it would look.
AlthoughStar Warslaunched in 1977 and the firstMass Effectgame wasn’t released until 2007, the two series share many similarities beyond their outer space setting and affinity for laser gun shootouts. Both are about rag-tag groups of heroes who must put aside their differences to face a terrifying, united threat with untold destructive power. Both stress the importance of interspecies cooperation. Both have technology that shoots you from one end of the galaxy to the other through a kind of wormhole. And in the gaming space, both have Bioware in common, as the developer made 2003’s iconic RPGStar Wars: Knights of the Old Republicbefore moving on to make the much-celebratedMass Effecttrilogy a few years later.
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One mega-fan of both franchises decided to get a tattoo that combines their iconography in a surprisingly serene image. Eschewing the standard tropes of explosions and daring space maneuvers, Reddit user Ramonramonra has revealed their new ink as a twist on the famous shot of Luke Skywalker standing outside his aunt and uncle’s dwelling on Tatooine and watching the twin suns set. However, in the tattoo there’s only one sun—the second has either skipped town under dramatic license or is blockedby the immense Mass Relay, a machine in theMass Effectseries that allows for rapid interstellar travel.
The tattoo certainly has an unexpected cleanness, given that it’s mashing two overloaded properties together, and its subtle addition ofMass Effectimagery to what at first looks like a purelyStar Warsnod is a clever way for Ramonramonra to suss out who the real nerds are at a party. It’s unclear what the cat is doing there next to the Luke proxy. Maybe that’s a personal touch, or maybe it’s a reference to the dreaded “cats aren’t food” conversation fromMass Effect: Andromeda.
Sure, many have already noted thatMass Effecttakes just as many cues fromStar TrekasStar Wars, if not more. But there don’t seem to be anytribblesin this image, so for now everyone can just appreciate a neat tattoo linking two sky-bound stories that many fans count among their favorites ever told.
A newMass Effectgame is currently in development.
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