There is no canonical story in Mass Effect

Bradley Shankar for MobileSyrup:

Should Shepard really be alive in the new game, that would make that one Mass Effect 3 ending canon, which would, ostensibly, run counter to the choice-driven ethos of the series.

Not to get too sweaty here but that doesn’t make sense.

If your character dies, there’s no logical way to “canonically” play the subsequent game. For example, if your Shepard was lost at the end of Mass Effect 2′s suicide mission, then Mass Effect 3 is unplayable for you unless you create a new one.

The “choice-driven ethos” is just fine.