Taucer hits on a major point, that Science Fiction as a genre- while it certainly has the lazers PEWPEW a lot- more often than not uses its setting as a canvas to paint themes and conflicts that directly relate to contemporary social, ethical, and moral issues. The central themes of the Mass Effect trilogy can be seen as reflections of our own world issues through the lens of a fantastical setting, where the lazers PEWPEW, spaceships ZEEOOOOWM, and aliens GURGLEGURGLE can sufficiently displace the feelings of "Oh no we can't talk about that" and allow the creators- or, in this brilliant case, the AUDIENCE of PLAYERS- to answer the dramatic questions they pose in diverse ways, without fear of being negatively labeled therefore.