He's the 'everyman' on a ship full of strange and exotic aliens, which makes him stand out more than the aliens do, to me. He doesn't bullshit Shepard with Cerberus propaganda like Miranda does, even though she has a turn of heart eventually too, so he's more or less straight with you. When I was you know, roleplaying, I liked him because (I felt) he was in the same boat as my Shepard, working with Cerberus because the Council won't pull their head of their cloacas and listen.