History Analysis / MassEffect

Philosophically, things became much more complicated with there being no completely good characters. Take Commander Bailey, Aria, and Samara for example, all of them being different levels of antiheroes at various shades of grey, doing the best they can in AWorldHalfFull. Even Shepard him/herself was no longer an upstanding citizen, being forced to work for a terrorist organization in order to get things done. Despite all of this, you can still perform small acts of kindness to make the universe a better place, and in the end, the hero can still triumph against impossible odds thanks to ThePowerOfFriendship and a few {{Rousing Speech}}es. With a little effort, you can transform your RagtagBunchOfMisfits into TrueCompanions, and save the galaxy.

With Destroy, you have the plans for the Crucible device made available for future generations of organic life, with even the knowledge of what it does - indiscriminately kill all synthetic life. Due to this, a technological singularity cannot happen for eons because organics have this giant reset button for if [[AIIsACrapshoot AI becomes a crapshoot]] and [[RobotWar robots go rampant]]. We can keep all synthetics at VI levels for a long time. However, should an AI be created, it already has at least one example of genocide being committed against its kind, possibly more. This existential threat would make most of them paranoid. So if enough of them are around, they might start to look into developing countermeasures. Maybe even one day making their own Franchise/Halo-esque superweapon that works on all ''organics'' instead. This creates an air of mutual distrust that won't go well if they do develop effective countermeasures, as the paranoia will make the possibility of peace very difficult. For a look at how difficult, take a look at MutuallyAssuredDestruction in the modern day...except now with {{KillerRobot}}s.) Using the Crucible as a preemptive measure to head off such conflict is only a stop gap band aid. Once some synthetic figures out how to make itself immune to the Crucible, or to make a "Reverse-Crucible," it's game over. So we find a new solution, using the Crucible to prevent problems until we arrive at that solution.

** Saved Wrex on Virmire? Sadistic choice again. Get krogan assistance or salarian assistance. With no foreknowledge of an outcome, the krogan are a no-brainer as this provides greater War Assets ''and'' this does a favor for a species in dire need. However, with Wrex dead, Wreav is in charge. Watching him mouth off a few times will make the choice much easier. Pays off too, as you can be a MagnificentBastard and play both sides. Betraying Wreav also potentially keeps Mordin alive, who provides a decent chunk of Assets as well.
** Saved the Council? Ouch, your fleets have been gutted. Killed them? Human War Assets are higher. Only way that saving the Council pays off for you is to have Thane sacrifice himself and die an agonizing death.

Philosophically, things became much more complicated with there being no completely good characters. Take Commander Bailey, Aria, and Samara for example, all of them being different levels of antiheroes at various shades of grey, doing the best they can in AWorldHalfFull. Even Shepard him/herself was no longer an upstanding citizen, being forced to work for a terrorist organization in order to get things done. Despite all of this, you can still perform small acts of kindness to make the universe a better place, and in the end, the hero can still triumph against impossible odds thanks to ThePowerOfFriendship and a few {{Rousing Speech}}es. With a little effort, you can transform your RagTagBunchOfMisfits into TrueCompanions, and save the galaxy.

The [[VideoGame/MassEffect2 second]] was a DarkerAndEdgier actionized sequel, with themes from both PostCyberPunk stories and sci-fi summer blockbuster in the late '90s-early 2000 (''VideoGame/DeusEx'', ''VideoGame/MetalGearSolid'', ''Film/IndependenceDay''). Unlike the original game, the setting is a lot less [[SlidingScaleOfIdealismVersusCynicism idealistic]], with incompetent government and amoral corporations in power, and social problems that technology cannot solve such as poverty, speciesism/racism, and corruption being presented much more prominently.

Philosophically, things became much more complicated with there being no completely good characters. Take Commander Bailey, Aria, and Samara for example, all of them being different levels of antiheroes at various shades of grey, doing the best they can in AWorldHalfFull. Even Shepard him/herself was no longer an upstanding citizen, but instead being forced to work for a terrorist organization in order to get things done. Despite all of this, you can still perform small acts of kindness to make the universe a better place, and in the end, the hero can still triumph against impossible odds thanks to ThePowerOfFriendship and a few {{Rousing Speech}}es. With a little effort, you can transform your RagTagBunchOfMisfits into TrueCompanions, and save the galaxy.

!! ''VideoGame/MassEffect3'' as a Deconstruction of the both the series itself and SpaceOpera in general.

* Did you romance/befriend Thane in hope that you will be able to save him from Kepral's Syndrome? Sorry, but the power of love is simply not a substitute for medicine.
* Did you manage to persuade Charr the Krogan poet and Ereba (Blue Rose of Illium) to get married? Once again, love does not make you bulletproof, and Ereba is ultimately left a war widow that will have to raise their child by herself.
* Did you hope to see Kal'Reegar again and fight along side with him? He is no stronger then you average common NPC redshirt and unceremoniously dies off-screen like countless others.

In the end, you are given three {{SadisticChoice}}s by an arrogant ancient AI that argues using questionable logic, forcing you to either commit galaxy-wide genocide, become an ultra-powerful immortal dictator, or forcibly rewrite the very core life itself without the consent of anyone else. Do you want to stay true to your principles and say no? Congratulations, you have just doomed all your allies and everyone you ever loved to die. ''[=ME3=]'' tells you time and time again that the war is unwinnable without a gamebreaking MacGuffin, and they meant it. Even if the efforts of the Protheans gave this cycle a bit more time, it'll take more than that to stop a force that's been at this for ''billions'' of years.

** Saved the rachni queen? Now you have to choose between saving her and saving the krogan company. With foreknowledge of War Asset counts, you will know what to do, but without this foreknowledge? Indecision!! However if you killed the queen and meet the breeder, this choice is not so sadistic at all. Just talking to it reveals that it is AxCrazy and even Liara the paragon of paragons warns you against saving it.
** Saved Wrex on Virmire? Sadistic choice again. Get krogan assistance or salarian assistance. With no foreknowledge of an outcome, the krogan are a no-brainer as this provides greater War Assets ''and'' this does a favor for a species in dire need. However with Wrex dead, Wreav is in charge. Watching him mouth off a few times will make the choice much easier. Pays off too, as you can be a MagnificentBastard and play both sides. Betraying Wreav also keeps Mordin alive, who provides a decent chunk of Assets as well.

** Hoped that having a [[TheRemnant Prothean]] squadmate would give you insights into this amazing awesome alien species and hoped he would be an Obi-Wan-like mentor guiding you to victory against the Reapers? And were then shocked when you got [[{{Troll}} Javik?]] If you listen carefully to what he is saying, he is actually giving you some very useful solutions. Saved the rachni queen? He approves if you save it again. Save the Breeder? He warns you that it is a bad idea. Sabotaged the genophage? He approves if you do so. Killed off the geth? He approves. Him talking about the Zha'Til? Warning you about a consequence of Synthesis. His talking about how the Protheans fought a war of attrition and lost? He was warning you about Refusing to Use the Catalyst in the end. If you are playing with a "organics-first" survival policy, Javik is nudging you towards the decisions which save organic lives, including your own.

The [[VideoGame/MassEffect2 second]] was a DarkerAndEdgier actionized sequel, with themes from both PostCyberPunk stories and sci-fi summer blockbuster in the late '90s-early 2000 (''VideoGame/DeusEx'', ''VideoGame/MetalGearSolid'', ''Film/IndependenceDay''). Unlike the original game, the setting is a lot less [[SlidingScaleOfIdealismVersusCynicism idealistic]], with incompetent government and amoral corporations in power, and social problems that technology cannot solve such as poverty, racism, and corruption being presented much more prominently.

The [[VideoGame/MassEffect3 first game]] was a representation of pre-cyberpunk traditional Space Operas in the 70s to 80s (Franchise/StarWars, ComicStrip/FlashGordon, Franchise/StarTrek). With themes commonly found in them such as [[SceneryPorn breathtaking environments on different planets]], exotic and interesting aliens cultures, [[GreenSkinnedSpaceBabe a race of attractive, female looking aliens]], mass effect based technology being presented as the solution to many social problems, and most importantly, the story’s focus being a tales of great personal heroism from a soldier fighting against evil, represented by a [[BigBad single villain]] and his army of faceless, robotic mooks.

The [[VideoGame/MassEffect2 second]] was a darker and edgier actionized sequel, with themes from both PostCyberPunk stories and sci-fi summer blockbuster in the late 90s to early 2000 (VideoGame/DeusEx, VideoGame/MetalGearSolid, Film/IndependenceDay). Unlike the original game, the setting is a lot less idealistic, with incompetent government and amoral corporations in power, and social problems that technology cannot solve such as poverty, racism, and corruption being presented much more prominently.

Philosophically, things became much more complicated with there being no completely good characters. Take Commander Bailey, Aria, and Samara for example, all of them being different levels of antiheroes at various shades of grey, doing the best they can in AWorldHalfFull. Even Shepherd him/herself was no longer an upstanding citizen, but instead being forced to work for a terrorist organization in order to get things done. Despite all of this, you can still perform small acts of kindness to make the universe a better place, and in the end, the hero can still triumph against impossible odds thanks to ThePowerOfFriendship and a few {{Rousing Speech}}es. With a little effort, you can transform your RagTagBunchOfMisfits into TrueCompanions, and save the galaxy.

In the final chapter of the series starting from the Arrival DLC, the story became a brutal lesson in the inherent unpredictability of fate. A player could basically do everything "right" (at least practically or morally) and still screw over themselves or others.

In the end, you are given three sadistic choices by an arrogant ancient AI that argues using questionable logic, forcing you to either commit galaxy-wide genocide, become an ultra-powerful immortal dictator, or forcibly rewrite the very core life itself without the consent of anyone else. Do you want to stay true to your principles and say no? Congratulations, you have just doomed all your allies and everyone you ever loved to die. ''[=ME3=]'' tells you time and time again that the war is unwinnable without a gamebreaking MacGuffin, and they meant it. Even if the efforts of the Protheans gave this cycle a bit more time, it'll take more than that to stop a force that's been at this for ''billions'' of years.

** Hoped that having a [[TheRemnant Prothean]] squadmate would give you insights into this amazing awesome alien species and hoped he would be an Obi-Wan like mentor guiding you to victory against the Reapers? And were then shocked when you got [[{{Troll}} Javik?]] If you listen carefully to what he is saying, he is actually giving you some very useful solutions. Saved the rachni queen? He approves if you save it again. Save the Breeder? He warns you that it is a bad idea. Sabotaged the genophage? He approves if you do so. Killed off the geth? He approves. Him talking about the Zha'Til? Warning you about a consequence of Synthesis. His talking about how the Protheans fought a war of attrition and lost? He was warning you about Refusing to Use the Catalyst in the end. If you are playing with a "organics-first" survival policy, Javik is nudging you towards the decisions which save organic lives, including your own.

Think back to one of the conversions you can have with Ashley in the [[VideoGame/MassEffect1 original Mass Effect]]. In which she stated her infamously cynical view on galactic politics, stating that humanity cannot rely on aliens or trust them as allies since [[Realpolitik we are too fundamentally different and everyone will only look out for their own race's self-interest in the end]]. To prove her point, she used the metaphor of a pet dog. No matter now much you love and care for it, in the end, if push comes to shove, [[SadisticChoice when presented with the choice between saving either another human being or your dog]], you will always go for the the human. Now look at the ending of VideoGame/MassEffect3. If you pick the Destroy option, you have just proven her point. Perhaps you view EDI as your close friend and you believe that the geth deserve a chance in building their own future. But in the end, when you are backed to a corner, you sided with the more familiar organics at the cost of all synthetic life.

Synthetic life isn't just a completely different form of life, it is life that can be created from base elements by organics. On the other hand, organic life can so far only be created by having other organic life spawn. Javik even lampshades this. While we organics do not know where we came from, synthetic life forms do. Even Legion claims that as a result, we organic life are plagued by questions of existence, while synthetic life forms aren't. They already know who made them, how they were made, and in many instances, even why.

This sort of lesson, while [[ShaggyDogStory unsatisfying]] from a WishFulfillment standpoint, can still be applicable to RealLife; after all, one day, you will die, our planet will be inhospitable, our sun will explode, and our universe will collapse. Ultimately, every accomplishment we make ''will'' be wiped out. However, every individual can still make a difference in how our short/long-term stories play out.