The "What are you playing?" topic.

[Monk]

So you got Kaiden's story about being abused at biotic training, Ashley's stories about her sister and how her family name is tainted due to her grandfather and so on?
Wrex, I thought, was particularly blabby recounting several of his mercenary missions and how he came to be exiled from the Krogan homeworld and lost his ancestral armor. I don't think Tali was quite as chatty, but she still went on at some length about her life on the flotilla and her pilgrimmage....

Believe it or not, that (ME1 has poor characterization) is something i've heard quite often from friends. Mainly from those who have played Dragon Age or ME2 before playing ME1. The first Mass Effect had a relatively straight-forward approach, aside from Wrex, Garrus and Tali (if you found hers, it was a bit off the beaten path) no one had much in the way of companion quests. Most characterization is accomplished through interactions with Shepard during events (Wrex: If I die in here, i'll kill him!) or after mission debriefs.

Companion quests on the other hand are a way for characters to really stand out in western RPGs, great examples of which are Zaeed's Revenge , Shale's quest for identity, Morrigan's search for her mother's book, ect. They open the character to new circumstances and you see development beyond simple conversation. As was once said: A little less conversation, a little more action.