Andromeda Character You Would Have Over OT Character

PeeBee is nothing like either Jack or Liara.  Peebee is enthusiastic and flirty but definitely not a virginal, love-struck school-girl and for most of the game, she's not wanting a permanent attachment with Ryder.  The focus of her research is to apply what she's learning to do something no one has done before.  Even though she was hurt by her previous lover, she's not seeking revenge and she openly sighs with the comment "So much violence" when engaged in battle is nothing like either Jack or Liara.  Jack is a tortured soul who is obsessed with violence and seeking revenge on Cerberus and Liara had an instant crush on Shepard and is obsessed with forging a permanent and exclusive relationship with him.  Her research is focused on revealing the truth about the past, not about applying the tech she finds in new and innovative ways.

I agree that Drack is very much like an aged version of Wrex in many ways; but Drack is also portrayed as being a caring grandfather to Kesh; whereas as Wrex never expressed  any concern or care for his family... even after hooking up with Eve in ME3.  The dialogue you have with Wrex during the Citadel DLC is about him just running around mating with numerous females... making babies rather than caring for them.  Drack's dialogues are truly about caring for Kesh and being deeply involved in her growing up.  This depth of "family" aspect in the Krogan in general is something new in ME:A.

Vetra gives us a first glimpse of Turian society and family life from a female perspective.  While she has some issues related to her father, she certainly does not have Miranda's notions about perfection.  She's also very much into wrangling back-room deals to garner the supplies necessary for the Tempest.  I don't recall anyone who filled that role on the Normandy.  Steve was the procurement officer... but he seems to have done everything completely above board.  Maybe you could go back to the Requisitions Officer in ME1... but he was hardly given any personality (you only had one short conversation that was merely an info-dump about the purchasing licenses.

While Kallo's personality is not as developed as others, it is absolutely clear that he is nothing like Mordin nor is he anything like Joker or Steve either.  I'm curious... who exactly would you say from the old Trilogy he is a "half-assed reworked version" of?

What reminds me of Jack is just her general demeanor, promiscuity and aloofness. What reminds me of Liara is again aloofness but also her self-obsessed single-minded focus on alien relics as a crutch & substitute at times for more meaningful interaction and characterization.

Wrex and Drack for me are like different brands of noble-savage / warrior-poet archetype, Drack is a little off-brand but he gets the job done.

Is this a trick question?..... ....i'm replaying ME2 (after not playing it for over 5 years) and default Shep and crew wipes the floor with Andromeda's entire cast.....opinions of course.... .....i almost forgot how well written those characters are....i wouldn't switch out any of them.

Sorry, not seeing that at all.  Jack was so angry and would tell Shepard just of F-off.  I can't imagine PeeBee ever telling anyone to do that.  Even if you save Kalinda and PeeBee ultimately punches her, what comes out of her mouth is "I finally beat you to the punch."  Jack threatens Miranda ("Touch me and I will smear the walls with you, bitch." and she even speaks to Shepard in a threatening tone ("You better be straight up with me.")

I also don't see PeeBee as having a "self-absorbed, single-mindedness about the Remnant... as a historical object (which is where Liara is at with it).  Liara doesn't want to dissect Prothean tech to figure out how it works (even the Crucible... which she really only investigates far enough to determine that it's a weapon before passing the blueprints onto Hackett).  PeeBee is much more into figuring out how it works... and there is absolutely nothing Liara-like about PeeBee's scene in the Aya museum where she's been experimenting with Angara alchohols.

the stowaway and smurfette are similar in one way. Shepard can't say anything bad to Liara, except for that one line in ME1, and Ryder can't get in the stowaway's face for knocking her/him to the ground or putting her/him in danger with the escape pod. Why is that? Is it because Bioware didn't want to create any friction between those two and the main character?

I would replace Liara T'Soni with Peebee, but it's sort of the opposite of what you described with Liara, I liked Liara in ME1, but her character development sucked. Peebee, on the other hand, had some pretty decent character development, I also liked her sense of humor and found her light years more relatable.

Just after crashing, she asks if he's mad at her.  I'm paraphrasing, but he can say that "mad is the smallest word he would use to describe how he is" and he can tell her that she'll need to work off the cost of the lost shuttle.  he also has an opportunity to just shoot her ex-girlfriend right in front of her face.

So? I shoot her girlfriend regardless.  Why can't Ryder get in her face and give her an earful for putting her/him in danger as well as the other squadmate? Why can't I have the option to throw her off my ship? Or better yet, give her to Nexus security for her to explain why she used Initiative property for one of her personal missions while putting the pathfinder in danger?

So Ryder saying mad is not the word I would use is causing "some" friction? Yet after getting out of the pod she continues like its an everyday occurrence. No. She has to understand that not everyone is going to accept her crap and that someone may return the favor, but not in the way she would like.

Cora over Ashley

The problem with changing them over is that ALL of Andromeda's cast is a wacky bunch of explorers, there's practically nothing making each character unique to all the others. 

I would trade Thane for anyone

Jacob and Liam are tied in terms of least appealing squaddie...so no trade there