Overview
NORMANDY SR-2 The Normandy SR-2 is the successor to the
SSV Normandy SR-1 and was designed and constructed by the
Cerberus group. The SR-2 is provided to
Commander Shepard and his/her team by
The Illusive Man to help complete the mission against the
collectors at
Omega 4. The design of the ship is fairly similar to that of the SR-1. It is, however, twice the original's size, more human-centric in terms of design, and is less martial in living standards, thanks to Cerberus funding. Due to its much larger size, the SR-2 is unable to land on planets itself, forcing parties to shuttle themselves to the planets they wish to explore. The ship consists of five decks which can be accessed using an elevator which runs through the centre of the ship. Some of these decks have specific capabilities, while most are used to communicate with crew members. The decks are: The Captain's Cabin, The Combat Information Centre (or CIC), The Crew's Quarters, The Engineering Deck and The Hangar.
The ship is equipped with an AI, known as EDI (Enhanced Defense Intelligence) who is partly based on Reaper technology. EDI takes charge of the electronic and cyber warfare suites during battle, aids Joker in navigation, provides the crew with important information and acts as a line of communication between the Normandy and The Illusive man but she is otherwise not integrated with the Normandy’s systems for the sake of security. There are terminals throughout the ship from which EDI will provide information on the various locations aboard the Normandy. When the ship is attacked by collectors Joker is forced to integrate EDI into the ships main systems to save the ship and so she is eventually given full access to all systems of the Normandy.
Weapons and Electronics
Normandy scanning a planet The weapons systems of the Normandy include two Javelin Disruptor Torpedo Launchers which launch torpedoes that release dark energy upon detonation. The explosion of the torpedoes is timed in such a way as to create a warp in space time which tears targets apart. In principle, this is a bigger version of the standard warp ability that is used by many biotics. The Normandy is also equipped with an array of GARDIAN (General Area Defensive Integration Anti-spacecraft Network) lasers which can defend against other ships or incoming missiles. These lasers are controlled by the EDI are used for "pin-point" defense against enemy missiles. In addition, EDI has the capability to actively jam guided missiles and in the case of close ship to ship, she can also attempt to hack the enemy firewall and create havoc in their network.
The ship has a wide range of scanning equipment including visual, radio and thermo-graphic sensors as well as radar and LADAR ( LAser Detection And Ranging). The ship is capable of scanning planets in short periods of time to detect unusual activity or mineral deposits. The Normandy is also capable of deploying probes which can be used in the excavation of valuable minerals or in the investigation of anomalous data from ship sensors. The Normandy also carries an quantum entanglement field based communication system which allows near simultaneous communication with the illusive man regardless of where the Normandy is. However, due to the fact that it is a quantum field based communication technology, it can only be used to communicate between two locations; the Normandy and the other being the device located in the illusive man's office.
Propulsion
Through the Omega-4 Relay The Normandy is propelled by means of anti-proton thrusters. In this system anti-protons are fed into a chamber of hydrogen and the resulting reaction between the matter and the anti-matter drives the ship forwards. The Tantalus Drive Core in the Normandy SR-2 is vertically-oriented to the ship as opposed to the Normandy SR-1s horizontally-oriented core. The core projects the mass effect field around the Normandy which enables faster-than-light travel as well as generating areas of compressed mass which the Normandy can use to move through space without emitting heat. The Normandy is powered by a nuclear fusion plant and uses hydrogen fuel cells as a backup should the fusion plant fail.
It is not only the drive core which allows the Normandy to move through space without emitting heat, it is also able to store heat within its own hull and utilize a refrigerated exterior, at some point however the ship must vent this heat to avoid fatal overheat and the death of the crew. A piece of technology is also eventually recovered for the ship known as the Reaper IFF (Identification Friend-or-Foe) which allows the Normandy to move through the Omega 4 Mass Relay, something which all other non-Reaper ships have been incapable of doing without dire outcomes.
Layout
Captain’s Cabin
Shepard’s personal quarters are much better furnished than the areas most other members of the crew are assigned to live in and his/her cabin also provides a number of practical functions. Shepard has a private terminal placed in their cabin along with a terminal which keeps data on achievements and an area where he/she can change his/her armor and clothing. Many of the items in the cabin are aesthetic; a fish tank to keep fish in, a space hamster (if one has been purchased), a picture of a previous romantic partner, any souvenirs Shepard has brought back from missions or shopping and a sound system. Shepard can invite anyone he/she is romantically linked with up to their cabin using an intercom at any time.
Combat Information Center (CIC)
At the front of the ship on this deck is the bridge and at the front-most point of that area the pilot’s seat can be found with a co-pilot’s seat on the right side and an EDI terminal on the left. A number of other seats and computer terminals are also placed around the walls of the bridge. At the back of the bridge the galaxy map can be found from which Shepard can navigate across the milky-way and the bridge also includes a private terminal for Shepard’s use. The bridge is where both Joker and Kelly Chambers can be found.
Through the rear door of the bridge on the starboard side the tech lab can be found. In here Shepard can review upgrades he/she has researched so far and research new upgrades. Mordin can also be found in here, often researching and using the area to experiment with combating the toxins of the collector swarms. Through the rear door of the bridge on the port side the armory can be found. This is where Jacob resides and also provides Shepard with the capability to change the loadout of his/her squad.
At the rear of the second deck is the briefing comm room where the crew of the Normandy can gather to discuss missions. The room can also be used by Shepard to communicate with The Illusive Man. There is a holographic projector in the center of the room which by default displays an image of the Normandy.
Crew’s Quarters
This is the area of the ship where the crew conducts most of their personal lives. The center of this area acts as a cafeteria with a small kitchen area where Rupert Gardner can be found and the level also includes male and female restrooms. The actual crews quarters themselves are located at the back of this level on the starboard side and a number of bunk beds are provided here for the crew. At the back of the level on the port side the life support systems are located, this is where Thane spends most of his time.
At the very front of this deck the main battery of the Normandy is placed and Garrus can be found in the same room. At the front of the ship and on the starboard side the medical bay is located, staffed by Doctor Chakwas and leads onto the AI core where EDI’s servers are stored and Legion lives. At the front of the ship on the port side Miranda’s Office can be found where Miranda lives and spends much of her time writing reports for Cerberus, it is notable that next to Shepard’s this is one of the best-furnished rooms on the ship.
Near the rear on either side of the ship, the port and starboard observation areas can be found. Both provide panoramic views of the space outside the ship, however the starboard observation area includes the ships library and is where Samara or Morinth can be found, while the port observation area includes a bar and is where Kasumi can be found.
Engineering
A large section at the front of the engineering deck is devoted to housing the core of the Normandy. The room behind the core contains a considerable amount of technical equipment for running the ship and is where Tali and the two engineers can be found. Two sets of stairs lead down from the main engineering deck to a sub-deck where Jack can be found.
There are cargo holds at the rear of this deck on the port and starboard sides. The port cargo hold is where Zaeed lives and includes a trash compactor, an airlock for trash disposal and surveillance equipment. The starboard cargo hold has far fewer features and is where Grunt’s pod is stored after it is recovered and later becomes the home of Grunt.
Hangar
The hangar is not normally accessible to Shepard, however it does store the shuttle used to reach planets and providing a mission in the Firewalker DLC has been completed also stores the M-44 Hammerhead tank. When the collectors attack the ship Shepard and a squad are forced to enter the hangar to combat an Occulus and should any characters die during the suicide mission the hangar is where their coffins are seen in the closing of the game.
Upgrades
The most significant change, in terms of gameplay, is the ability to upgrade the Normandy based on recommendations from other crew members. Many of these upgrades ensure the survival of crew members during the final mission.
Advanced Mineral Scanner
The Argus Advanced Mineral Scanner uses a grid of 100 radar-based micro-satellites to deliver topographical maps of planet surfaces. This means that scanning can be done with greater accuracy and in less time. When scanning planets this upgrades allows the cursor to move faster than it otherwise would.
Extended Fuel Cells
The Heed Industries Helios Thruster Module uses metallic hydrogen as the ships fuel source instead of traditional H2/O2. This significantly decreases the fuel consumption of the ship during faster-than-light travel.
Heavy Ship Armor
The Asari-manufactured Silaris Heavy Ship Armor is composed of carbon nanotube sheets woven with diamond chemical vapor deposition which have been compressed down by mass effect fields. The material is not only extremely strong but also has a high resistance to heat and kinetic energy.
Med-Bay Upgrade
This upgrade adds a dermal regenerative unit to the ships medical lab allowing Shepard to immediately remove any facial scarring.
Modular Probe Bay
A probe bay with twice the capacity of the original.
Multicore Shielding
A system of kinetic barriers around the ship which operate using Cyclonic Barrier Technology (CBT). CBT uses rotating mass effect field projectors to create an oscillating kinetic field which pushes away material which comes into contact with it instead of simply stopping it.
Thanix Cannon
The Thanix Magnetic-Hydrodynamic Weaponry is a gun based on the weapon which Sovereign used during the attack on the Citadel. The cannon uses an electromagnetic beam to fire streams of molten metal into targets. It is shown to be extremely powerful.
Crew
Human Crew Members
Non-Human Crew Members
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