I think it's certain that Bioware are going to introduce the same amount of (hopefully more) squad members it did in ME2. I was just wondering what races/classes/personalities they'd like to see in ME3?
 
Personally, I'd like to see a male quarian and perhaps a friendly Batarian (unlike most in the game who come across as thugs). There's also the famous first ever Hanar spectre who may be involved and fingers crossed, the ultimate biotic god Volus. haha.

Hopefully they will not introduce any new squad characters.
90% of ME2 was already spent recruiting new characters. There are quite many now.
I would rather they focus on consolidating and concluding the story while making it as epic as possible.
Rather not spend time on new blood. And rather they did not spend resources on that either. There are already too many unresolved threads for the 3rd game to tie up.
That's just my opinion.

I would love to see some new characters. I love the ones from ME2, but a lot of the fun in that game was meeting these characters and getting to know each one. I would love to experience that again in ME3. 
 
I don't get when people say that they don't want any new characters. The characters are a major part of what drives the Mass Effect games... new characters would be awesome in my books. 
 
Also, how the hell is Mass Effect 2 still the most popular forum on Giant Bomb? It's even more popular than the Wii, God of War 3, FFXIII, The two most popular online shooters, and the freaking game for the endurance run. And it came out over 2.5 months ago!

 
They should dig back into old fan favorites if they want to add some new squad members (Kirrahe, Wrex, Kal'Reegar, Shiala) before making totally new party members. I agree though, if they must, a new batarian squadmate would be awesome.

No new characters, I can live with old ME love interests though. I want them to build on the team you've created in Mass Effect 2 [and what is left of it at the end].

" Hopefully they will not introduce any new squad characters. 90% of ME2 was already spent recruiting new characters. There are quite many now. I would rather they focus on consolidating and concluding the story while making it as epic as possible. Rather not spend time on new blood. And rather they did not spend resources on that either. There are already too many unresolved threads for the 3rd game to tie up. That's just my opinion. "

"the whole Harbinger thing felt very very flimsy - Sovereign was the only Reaper outside of Darkspace and had to have people aboard him to indoctrinate them; how did Harbringer manage to indoctrinate and control the Protheans so remotely?"

Alex from Street Fighter III

A female salarian and turian squadmate.

Would suggesting an Elcor as a character be a bit extreme?

I wonder if they'll ever bring a female turian into the game. No seriously.
 
And an Elcor heavy weapons guy. lol

Joker in a mech suit. Thats all the new squad members that'd be needed for ME3.

An Elcor with shoulder mounted mini guns.

Keith David. Not Anderson. Just Keith David.

Wrex.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

That is all.

Saren being brought back in the same way Shepard was, minus the indoctrinated bits.  He now sees the value of humanity and respects Shepard as a warrior.  He would also have an intimate knowledge of the Reapers and would be able to provide significant help in that aspect. 

Just a thought, and it might be too close to what they did at the end of the second Pirates of the Caribbean movie, but I think it would offer significant shock value without destroying the practicality or logic of the universe.

" Wrex. 

A Hannar bounty hunter for a party member.  You know you want it.

Id like maybe 1 or 2 new Squad members, but id much prefer they focus on bringing back the awesome characters from 1 and 2

Wrex's son. 
 
And Wrex, of course.

Banjo and Kazooie.

That male quarian who wore red. That dude. And whatever those pudgy midgets with the masks are called. Need one.

there will be a couple of new squad members, but I seriously doubt there'll be that many. If this is the last game, I suspect that Bioware won't focus on too much character development but on the overarching storyline.

hopefully a chocobo....or maybe tingle from zelda

I WANT TO SEX A VOLUS

I've always wanted a Volus on the Normandy crew.  A Hanar biotic could also be potentially awesome, if not really bizarre.
 
But more seriously, I want Liara to have a more prominent role.  She was the romance option I chose in the first game, and I didn't betray her love in Mass Effect 2.

Bringing back the old crew would create a large amount of content that only people who managed to recruit the crew/keep them alive would access. Bioware is all about creating the illusion of choice without real consequences, and having so many returning characters who's existence in the 3rd game is contingent on your previous action is far more consequence than they're brave enough to attempt. Im absolutely positive nobody will come back as a PC unless there's someone who for whatever reason will not die no matter what on the suicide mission.

"Hopefully they will not introduce any new squad characters. 90% of ME2 was already spent recruiting new characters. There are quite many now. I would rather they focus on consolidating and concluding the story while making it as epic as possible. Rather not spend time on new blood. And rather they did not spend resources on that either. There are already too many unresolved threads for the 3rd game to tie up. That's just my opinion. "

I want someone named Quin-jal, a renegade Asari with RED skin because of a birth defect and a taste for vengeance.
 
(Is it just me, or is asking what new characters we want to see a little ridiculous?)

" I want someone named Quin-jal, a renegade Asari with RED skin because of a birth defect and a taste for vengeance.  (Is it just me, or is asking what new characters we want to see a little ridiculous?) "

1. It'd be weird to have two Asari birth defects related with skin pigment as there's already one and it causes the Asari to have green skin.
2. Morinth is already that Asari who seeks vengeance because of her birth defect making her out to be an Ardat-Yakshi.
3. Quin-jal is more of a Quarian name than an Asari one.

I want Captain David Anderson as a squadmate.   The man needs to get out of that office and mow down some bastards with his 'ol XO.  Plus I LOVE that man's voice.
 
And hey, simsoy,
YEAH PROTHEAN SQUADMATE HELL YES AND GREAT IDEA!!!!!
 
New game doesn't need as many new characters added, but keep the quality up.  And they better (most very likely will) have Garrus back.  He was mostly a bitch in 1, but awesome in 2.

Oh please a Vorcha, I love those freaking ugly, retarded mutants!

A non-Geth AI squad mate would be interesting.

I think a Batarian squadmate would be quite cool, though I wouldn't want him to be too nice. I mean, it'd be like having a Klingon squadmate in a Star Trek game and having him be a wimp. I also wouldn't mind Kaiden/Ashley (Kaiden in my case) returning, but I also wouldn't be upset if he/she didn't. 

" A non-Geth AI squad mate would be interesting. "

I want a Volus. While I'm fighting a mech they can sneak around the back of it and disable it.  
 
 
Also, an easter egg that somehow involves The Doctor. 

My theory is that anyone who survives the suicide mission in your ME2 save file sticks with you, and anyone who didn't survive gets replaced by a different character who can fill the same combat/support role. If not, then it could more about recruiting whole armies, not party members.

I'd like to have Kal'Reegar as a playable squadmate. Beside that, I'd like to stick with what we have.

i really like the idea of a rambo-like elcor. he would totally have the best conversations and could be set up like the robot in the end of fallout 3 or the robot companion in time splitters fp just shouting out one liners with his awesome elcor-voice 
apart from that, yea im still hoping for the old crew to return- and if bioware has to make a rather stupid explanation for that, like lets say they all got revived like shepard did or whatever... eff it im still down!

I'd like to have a Yahg in my squad.

The character I want most as a squadmate is Aria T'Loak.  I also think Kal'Reegar, or another combat hardened male Quarian marine, would make a great addition to the squad.  I also want to encounter a Turian and/or Salarian female...maybe even a Krogan female, at some point during my travels across the galaxy.

Miranda's twin sisters.

Jeff bridges,and maybe daft punk 
 
also kasumi <3

" Saren being brought back in the same way Shepard was, minus the indoctrinated bits.  He now sees the value of humanity and respects Shepard as a warrior.  He would also have an intimate knowledge of the Reapers and would be able to provide significant help in that aspect. "

The last thing I want to do in Mass Effect 3 is gather yet another squad. I obviously am not against gaining some new members if it means more interesting side quests and something to help fill any gaps left in the crew.  
 
I should mention that I am very behind on my Mass Effect 2 DLC, I lost all of my saves and am currently building up my Shepard in Mass Effect 1 before I tackle 2 again. It felt wrong going into not having a save to import. 
 
I have a the feeling that the third game will be Shepard recruiting the various races for the impending invasion of the Reapers. I feel like a lot of the carry over from the first two games will be how you dealt with certain events and the favor you have gained in doing so.  
 
What I fear is the end. Not only of the game itself, but the franchise. I hope they learned from the lackluster ending in two, at least in terms of the final battle, to really amp it up for three. I also just really want to see more Mass Effect, and I feel that after three they may put a wrap on the series. How do you continue after this? The reapers are the baddest of the bad, they have not even hinted at anything beyond them. A new lead character would feel weird, I do not know, this is all just ramblings in my head over the past few days as I play through Mass Effect 1 again, and again and again (seriously, over the past week I am on my third playthrough).  
 
Whatever they do, I have faith it will be pretty damn fantastic. Bioware has rarely let me down and for something as big as Mass Effect 3, I can not see them starting now.