When Commander Shepard was killed in a Collector attack that also resulted in the destruction of the SSV Normandy, Cerberus was able to recover Shepard's corpse with the help of Liara T'Soni. The Illusive Man created and funded the Lazarus Project, pouring virtually unlimited resources into the belief that only Shepard could stop the Reaper threat to humanity as the Council stood idly by. The project proves to be a success in 2185 when Shepard manages to regain full neurological activity.