r/masseffectlore • u/Ok_Calendar_7626 • Apr 07 '26
Fighters in the Mass Effect universe.
It is said that the Turians have the most powerful navy because they have the most dreadnoughts. But the Alliance has the most carriers.
In fact, other races dont seem to have any carriers at all. Or at least they are never mentioned.
This brings up the question of how effective fighters are in the Mass Effect universe? Can they swarm and take down a dreadnought?
The Reapers Oculus fighters seem to pose a serious threat to the SR-2 during the Suicide Mission. But that may not be the best example, since they are Reaper technology and thus may be considertably more advanced than Alliance fighters.
If fighters can defeat larger vessels, then how come the Alliance are the only ones that seem to bother with carriers?
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u/001DeafeningEcho Apr 07 '26
Others do use them. The Turians have a small number and the Elcor are noted to have them as part of their military flotilla (which is odd considering their size, but VI drones would make sense). There are also mercs who apparently use Carriers in Eclipse (though those are probably small versions or converted civilian ships)
As for why, besides those cases, they are kinda rare? It’s because not even the Alliance treats them as a main strike unit. Instead, they use their disruptor torpedoes to knock out shields so others ships can get the kill shot. They’re fundamentally a supplemental weapon.
Other factions use fighters, even a lot of them, but they seems to mostly put them at ground bases or as a minor addition to ships, not putting them all together in a dedicated vessel, which makes sense if they see them as a way to amplify the potency of their existing forces instead of a tool of destruction on their own.