Mass Effect: Andromeda starts around 2185, as the Andromeda Initiative embarked on an ambitious goal to settle the Andromeda galaxy by traveling in large vessels known as arks. A coalition of Milky Way races - which includes humans, asari, turians, salarians and the krogan - participate in this 600-year expedition and are placed in cryostasis to ensure that they do not age during the trip. Prior to the journey, the Initiative had identified 'golden worlds' in Andromeda's Heleus Cluster, locations that are deemed highly viable for habitation. Each ark consists of a team that is led by a Pathfinder who is tasked to explore and ensure these worlds and any other potential locations are hospitable before settlement can begin.
Depending on the initial choice, the game follows either one of the Ryder twins named Scott or Sara Ryder by default, as they assist their father Alec Ryder, the Human Pathfinder, in the Initiative's effort. Alec and his children travel aboard the Hyperion, one of the arks that contain mainly human passengers. Unlike Commander Shepard, the Ryder siblings do not begin with a past reputable status, but instead the protagonist's character and reputation grow as they progress through the narrative.
As the events of Mass Effect: Andromeda take place far in the future, characters from the original trilogy are not present nor any decisions that were made in the past entries have any impact during the events of this game. This is to ensure that the game is accessible to new players. However, references to some characters of the original trilogy may be found during exploration and interaction with various people.