The votes have been cast, and the winner is...the redhead! The Mass Effect community selected the new female Commander Shepard pictured below in a contest to choose the look of their new playable heroine (you can thank concept artist Patryk Olejniczak for the fiery vixen). Unfortunately for her, her only entry in the franchise's trilogy will be her last, as BioWare has recently confirmed that the upcoming Mass Effect 3 will "complete" Commander Shepard's story.
Don't even begin to think that this will be the end of the series, however. BioWare’s Dr. Ray Muzyka strongly emphasized that the third game of the award-winning trilogy is meant to be a "brand new beginning" and an "entry point for new fans." He also stated that it will deliver "a thrilling and epic conclusion to the trilogy as we promised our fans we’d provide for Commander Shepard." 
Mass Effect 3 is set to hit shelves on March 6th, 2012, so there's only about 6 more months until the stunning conclusion of one of the most critically-acclaimed series in video game history. Keep checking back with us to get the latest details when they emerge as we get closer and closer to the eradication of the Reapers (hopefully).