kumquats wrote...
So I turn it around, maybe I didn't make myself clear. What new things did you learn in ME3, about the asari, that you didn't know from ME1, ME2 and LotSB? Was the whole stuff about the Protheans in the Athema Temple to your liking? For me it wasn't enough.
Well, I was considering everything as a whole. They do get more alien as the series progresses, but it's not always because you're learning something new about their culture.
Most of what you learn about the Asari and their culture as a whole comes from ME1 and ME2, with talking to Liara, Samara, and exploring Illium. When I say they become more alien in ME3, it's not really about their culture, it's rather simple - it's pretty much just because ME3 takes the Asari and gives them, especially Liara, a higher res model and shows their skin as scaled, which I say portrays them as more alien, because before that you might think they are just blue humans. It's a minor detail, but it's a touch I appreciate. That is pretty much all you learn that you didn't know from ME1/2.
ME3
does let you know the history of their culture and such, that it came from Prothean backgrounds and meddling, but I don't think that's the same thing as learning about what their culture and attitudes
are, it's just learning about where it came from.
And no, I didn't like the whole reveal with the Prothean Beacon. I don't have a problem with Protheans having a hand in helping protect and mold the Asari into what they are, but the beacon itself is nonsensical and mishandled and just makes no sense.
The second thing:
Look at the Codex, look at Liara. Look at the Codex again.
It's just not working for me in ME1, that we meet a whole new different culture and we have the Drizzt Do'urden of their race in our Squad. ^^
That's the reason, why a lot of people don't see Liara as an asari. She is the embodiment of the non-archetypal asari and first impressions are important.
[Edit:] PM for the Betazoids, I don't want to bore the others with ST lore.
I wouldn't call Liara that different, she's not a Drizzt figure - she's somewhat different from the average Asari, but then so is Garrus different from the typical Turian and Wrex different from the typical Krogan - in Wrex's case, he gets more and more different and stands out more and more as unique, the farther into the series you get with him alive.
They stand out, including Liara, but it's not like they are complete opposites of their society. Parts of Asari society still bleed through into Liara's character and personality - the easiest example is how, due to being from a monogendered society like she is, she can be romanced by either a male or female Shepard. She even talks about how she went through more typical Asari life when she was young, but broke away from it to pursue what she was interested in - however, it's actually wrong to say that's not typical Asari behavior.
True, what she pursued is atypical, but carving her own path and being independent? That is actually not. Asari usually become dancers, strippers, and mercenaries because it's usually what they
want to do, just as Liara wanted to pursue archaeology. Likely the other Asari see their paths as a way to explore the galaxy on their own and travel through a bunch of social circles, Liara chose her path to explore the galaxy too - she just wasn't interested in being a part of those social circles.
Liara is also not immune to the mental pressures of having such a long lifespan, she has to face that just as all Asari would. She'll even talk about how it feels to have such a long life, in ME1 and ME3.
Really though, in what ways does she
not seem to show parts of Asari culture in her personality? All there really is, is that she didn't become a typical dancer/merc. She still learned to use biotics, she still learned to be independent, she still learned to hold her own in a fight, and she clearly still had some of that adventurous spirit.
As far as the Star Trek codex - yeah, it's a lot, but look at how much more content ST has to build on to build that up, than ME does. I feel like that could've gotten a lot more fleshed out for the Asari though, if ME3 wasn't so rushed, and if Thessia and the Asari as a whole had more screentime in ME3...but they don't.
Another issue stopping them from fleshing the races out more is that Star Trek would have episodes focused on the small scale and just the relationships between crew members, and have episodes devoted entirely to something happening to them related to their culture or something, giving you a significant look into more about their race. ME...very rarely does that. It's almost entirely so focused on the large scale threat of the Reapers coming that you just don't get the smaller scale look at cultures like Star Trek did.
Retour en haut
Well I have a ME3 Shepard that kiled Mordin,Wrex, and Kaiden in ME3. The rengade dosn't hate any of the squadmates. (It's more like Shepard is putting up with co-workers he/she dosnt like,) Renegade Shep is more: hardass millitary. (and will do whatever it takes without hesitation.) Which made killing wrex intresting...
