Pureblood

From Mass Effect Wiki

'Pureblood' is a term referring to the child of two asari. This negatively charged, even offensive, term derives from the peculiar mating ritual of the asari. The asari are mono-gendered and there are therefore no male nor female asari, but even so, they need a partner in order to reproduce. The second parent, however, can be of any gender or of any race since the joining is mental rather than physical.

According to old asari tradition, mating with another species gives more understanding and insight into that particular species and their history and experiences. Therefore, mating with other species is the preferred option since it has an evolving effect on the offspring and also on the asari race itself. The term 'pureblood' is considered an insult among asari; some consider the child of two other asari to be wasteful as "nothing has been gained".

Liara T'Soni talks about herself as a possible pureblood in discussions with Shepard. She mentions that her mother, Matriarch Benezia, never mentioned who her father was, but Liara claims to know her 'second parent' was another asari. This might just be speculation on Liara's part as an explanation for Benezia's silence, since this is a fact Benezia would have preferred to keep secret to avoid the public humiliation. Liara clearly finds discussing her parentage quite painful, but she has wondered about the identity of her 'father' and what happened between her parents.