# Mass Effect, or Tomas Plekanec saves the Galaxy **URL:** \ **Category:** The Game Room\ **Created:** [March 13, 2010, 7:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mass-effect-or-tomas-plekanec-saves-the-galaxy/532384 "2010-03-13T19:34:52Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 4\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![mnemosyne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/c4cdca/32.png) [@mnemosyne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mnemosyne)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2010, 7:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mass-effect-or-tomas-plekanec-saves-the-galaxy/532384/1 "2010-03-13T19:34:52Z")
My husband has started playing Mass Effect (yeah, he’s a few years behind on his gaming!), and imagine my surprise when I glanced at his screen and saw that [Tomas Plekanec](http://ourhistory.canadiens.com/media/94b71a79d88ceed8/small/Plekanec_Tomas_1.jpg) was the lead [character](http://www.digitalbattle.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/04/mass-effect.jpg)! Apparently I arrived too late to convince my husband to actually choose that name for the game, but still - I can’t wait to hear his summaries of how Pleks is going to save the Galaxy! Have you encountered video game characters that unintentionally looked like famous people, or even friends and family? ---
**Author:** ![Mr.Kobayashi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/4af34b/32.png) [@Mr.Kobayashi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Kobayashi)\ **Post date:** [March 14, 2010, 6:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mass-effect-or-tomas-plekanec-saves-the-galaxy/532384/2 "2010-03-14T18:20:04Z")
Default Shep is modelled after Dutch model [Mark Vanderloo](http://ilovegamerguide.files.wordpress.com/2008/06/ewwwtf_2.jpg). There’s a [load](http://www.gamewad.com/video-game-characters-that-look-like-celebrities-3180-p.html) of video-game look-a-likes, most of it’s intentional though. Easier to program, I imagine. ---
**Author:** ![TimeWinder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/bcef8e/32.png) [@TimeWinder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TimeWinder)\ **Post date:** [March 14, 2010, 8:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mass-effect-or-tomas-plekanec-saves-the-galaxy/532384/3 "2010-03-14T20:24:19Z")
> [@Mr.Kobayashi](#): > > There’s a [load](http://www.gamewad.com/video-game-characters-that-look-like-celebrities-3180-p.html) of video-game look-a-likes, most of it’s intentional though. Easier to program, I imagine. It might be just me, but other than a vague resemblance on the Kurt Russell one (probably mostly the eyepatch), I don’t think any of those digital examples look much at all like their supposed real-life counterparts. ---
**Author:** ![Mr.Kobayashi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/4af34b/32.png) [@Mr.Kobayashi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Kobayashi)\ **Post date:** [March 14, 2010, 8:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mass-effect-or-tomas-plekanec-saves-the-galaxy/532384/4 "2010-03-14T20:51:56Z")
> [@TimeWinder](#): > > It might be just me, but other than a vague resemblance on the Kurt Russell one (probably mostly the eyepatch), I don’t think any of those digital examples look much at all like their supposed real-life counterparts. Aye, 'cos the OP asked for unintentional ones! Although the Tekken one is definitely intentional, you can unlock the same outfit in Tekken…3? I think it was, that Bruce Lee made iconic, his yellow jumpsuit. Sticking with the same franchise but in \*intentional \*similarities, you’re right about Kurt Russell - Kojima was a huge fan of Escape From New York, hence “Snake” (and “Plissken” in MGS2), so it’s no doubt intentional. Likewise earlier incarnations of Snake (the article makes a mistake - it’s actually Big Boss with the eyepatch) looked like [Michael Biehn](http://www.critical-hits.com/wp-content/uploads/2007/02/parecidos_razonables_solid_snake_terminator.jpg) and [Mel Gibson](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/f/f3/Msx_010.PNG), Big Boss bore a resemblance to [Sean Connery](http://images4.wikia.nocookie.net/metalgear/images/e/ea/Big_Boss_%28MG2%29.gif), [Mei Ling](http://images4.wikia.nocookie.net/metalgear/images/5/51/Mei_Ling_face.jpg) was modelled on Japanese actress [Nakayama Shinobu](http://wiki.d-addicts.com/static/images/4/4b/NakayamaShinobu2.jpg) and so on.