Jeff "Joker" Moreau

Born in 2155 on the Arcturus space station, Joker was born with a rare genetic disorder called Vrolik Syndrome, which causes his bones to be highly brittle. He was even born with multiple fractures, and even with the advancements in modern medicine, he still has difficulty walking or preforming other tasks that are trivial for most people.

Living in the heart of the Systems Alliance, Joker spent most of his early life surrounded by military types. Knowing he'd never be able to be a front line soldier, he enrolled in flight school. He earned his nickname from one of his instructors in flight school, who noticed that Joker rarely smiled and was working too hard. Joker graduated the top of his class, and even ended up performing better than his instructors. When the original Normandy was commissioned, Joker was chosen to be the pilot.

Joker is somewhat arrogant about his skills, always cracking jokes and is apt to remind anyone of his talents. He takes offense to anyone assuming that he has achieved as much as he has due to sympathy towards his condition. He's proved himself just as capable as he claims to be though. When taking the mass relay to Ilos, Joker was able to successfully drop the Mako with only twenty meters of suitable ground to land on, despite others saying that anything less than one hundred meters would be suicide.

While Shepard and his crew were investigating the Conduit on Ilos, Joker took the Normandy to rally the Fifth Fleet of the Alliance Navy to help defend the Citadel against Sovereign and his Geth fleet. When Shepard returns to the Citadel from Ilos, he reestablishes radio contact with Joker, and plots out a strategy for the Fifth Fleet. Shepard can either order Joker to put the full focus of the fleet on Sovereign, or he can order Joker to defend the Destiny Ascension and protect the Citadel council. Either way, Joker plays an instrumental role in defeating Sovereign, while the Normandy is hardly scratched during the fight.

Mass Effect 2

Joker is on board the Normandy when it is first attacked by an unknown enemy. Commander Shepard convinces Joker to abandon ship, even though he at first insists that he can still save the ship. Joker and most of the crew make it out alive, but with Shepard gone, the Alliance disbands the crew, and Joker finds himself grounded and unable to fly. He is eventually convinced to join Cerberus as a member of the Lazarus Cell, as he will not only be able to work with Commander Shepard again, but will also be the pilot of the newly constructed Normandy SR-2. Cerberus even provide him with an upgrade to his legs allowing him to walk more freely, though he still obviously has difficulty doing so.

Joker is quite pleased with the layout of the new ship, though at first is greatly annoyed at EDI, the ships new artificial intelligence. The two frequently trade jabs with each other, with Joker covering the ships cameras with grease to obscure her footage of him, and with EDI messing with the controls for Joker's chair. Eventually the two begin to establish an understanding, and are even quite friendly with one another by the end of the game.

At one point during the game, Commander Shepard is away with his team, and the Normandy is attacked by the Collectors. EDI insists that the only way to escape their dire situation is for Joker to give her full access to the ship. Though reluctant to do so, Joker sets off to the AI core to help EDI. During this time, the player actually has direct control over Joker, as he is guided through the ship to the AI core, and then the engine room. During the long walk through the Normandy (Joker must limp his way through it), Collectors are seen on the ship prowling around. It's possible for Joker to be killed by the Collectors during this part, but death results in a restart. By the end of the event, Joker is the only crew member left on the Normandy, with everyone else being abducted by the collectors.

Trivia

• • Joker is voiced by Seth Green.
  • After the end of most missions in Mass Effect 2, Joker usually has some sarcastic comment to make about what happened, or who Shepard has recruited for his team.
  • If Shepard stands around idle on the bridge of the Normandy in Mass Effect 2, Joker will begin to start making random comments.
  • If Commander Shepard dies at the end of Mass Effect 2 it will be Joker who communicates with the Illusive Man in the cutscene. Joker will also be the one who looks at all the dead team members coffins as well.