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[VStar]

In a lot of posts on this forum, I see people pointing to the codex entry from ME1 that states that most of the human population still resides on Earth, and that the most populous Alliance colony only has a population of ~5 million. While I have no doubt this information was considered true for ME1, between ME1 and ME2 there appears to have been a retcon to expand the number of humans who have migrated to distant planets, likely due to the change in the writing team causing a realization that the original human population numbers are inadequate to account for humanity being a major galactic power.

There are a few examples of this in the ME2 galaxy map, including:

Joab: 21,553,000 inhabitants. The planet is listed as being exclusively human-populated.
Anhur: 208,587,000. The planet is listed as having heavy populations of humans and batarians, and being human-dominated, which suggests that at least a significant percentage of that population number is human.
Caleston: 1,802,705,000. This is the mining planet that serves the entire Attican Traverse, which is controlled by the Alliance.

These could be mistakes, but if they're not, they seem to suggest that the writing team wanted to expand the human population numbers in ME2 so as to make it more easily believable that humanity is a potent and widespread galactic force.

Anyway, I think it's something to keep in mind when discussing how the loss of Earth's population would affect humanity on a galactic scale.

[Malanek]

VStar wrote...

In a lot of posts on this forum, I see people pointing to the codex entry from ME1 that states that most of the human population still resides on Earth, and that the most populous Alliance colony only has a population of ~5 million.

Where in the codex does it state the bolded bit? I've seen people point to individual colonies with small populations but that is NOT evidence, or even conjecture, over how big the biggest ones are.

[VStar]

In ME1, Terra Nova's population is listed as being 4.4 million, and it is described as currently having the highest population of any Alliance colony.

[Kaiser Shepard]

Malanek999 wrote...

VStar wrote...

In a lot of posts on this forum, I see people pointing to the codex entry from ME1 that states that most of the human population still resides on Earth, and that the most populous Alliance colony only has a population of ~5 million.

Where in the codex does it state the bolded bit? I've seen people point to individual colonies with small populations but that is NOT evidence, or even conjecture, over how big the biggest ones are.

Last page of the Incursion comic points towards our largest colony, Terra Nova, having a population of a little bit over 4 million.

I'm not sure if those Planet Scans are to be taken as canon, though.

[Sgt Stryker]

I believe those ME2 planet entries are just a sign that BioWare needs to hire a Codex Guru guy.

[didymos1120]

I'm inclined to see Joab and Anhur (especially Anhur) populations as errors that escaped the editors' eyes because they're an order of magnitude or more than the counts for even the most populous of humanity's other colonies (including those said to be the oldest). Caleston on the other hand is well within the population range seen with the other human worlds, so I don't see why it's even relevant.

[Malanek]

I see. "It was the second human extrasolar colony, and the first beyond the Charon Mass Relay. It currently has the highest population of any Alliance colony."

I would be more inclined to view this as a mistake since it is contradicted numerous times and the number is ridiculously low. The one thing that is ambiguois is the description "alliance colony". Can you have human colonies that are not considered "Alliance Colonies"?

Modifié par Malanek999, 26 juillet 2011 - 03:53 .

[Travie]

Yeah, there were quite a few references to colonies with large human populations, but mixed overall.

[didymos1120]

Malanek999 wrote...

I see. "It was the second human extrasolar colony, and the first beyond the Charon Mass Relay. It currently has the highest population of any Alliance colony."

I would be more inclined to view this as a mistake since it is contradicted numerous times and the number is ridiculously low.

How so?

The one thing that is ambiguois is the description "alliance colony". Can you have human colonies that are not considered "Aliance Colonies"?

Yes (e.g. Horizon), but the notion that they could achieve populations an order of magnitude or more than Alliance backed and funded colonies doesn't make a whole lot of sense.

[Malanek]

didymos1120 wrote...

Malanek999 wrote...

I see. "It was the second human extrasolar colony, and the first beyond the Charon Mass Relay. It currently has the highest population of any Alliance colony."

I would be more inclined to view this as a mistake since it is contradicted numerous times and the number is ridiculously low.

How so?

As in ridiculously low? Because over 30 years with an extremely high population on earth, relatively cheap starflight, and numerous garden worlds, colonisation numbers would in reallity be much, much higher. Even Cruisers hold several thousand people, so designated transport ships would carry at leat that amount. Say there were over 100 transport ships taking 2 weeks for a round trip, the alliance could have easily transported half a billion colonists over this period. Such low numbers don't make sense, our own pattern of colonies shows this.

[Praetor Knight]

Malanek999 wrote...

Can you have human colonies that are not considered "Alliance Colonies"?

It's possible that there are at least a few.

Watson comes to mind, but I have no idea the size of the populations there.

[VStar]

Yes, there are a number of human colonies in the Terminus Systems that are not affiliated with the Alliance. They're basically independent colonies founded outside the purview of the System's Alliance. These were the colonies that were being attacked in ME2 and harvested by the Collectors; the Alliance wasn't responding to these attacks because the attacked colonies weren't part of the Alliance.

Watson, however, is actually an Alliance colony; in the mission surrounding it, there's an Alliance base on the moon orbiting it, and there's an Alliance spaceport on the planet. Anhur, though, for example, appears to be an independent colony.

Modifié par VStar, 26 juillet 2011 - 04:30 .

[Sgt Stryker]

 Of course there's also Trident, which was allegedly settled in 2144 (4 years before the discovery of mass effect physics by humans!) and has a population of several million.

Query: What is the best way to reconcile these Codex inaccuracies?

[ThanesSniper]

Sgt Stryker wrote...

 Of course there's also Trident, which was allegedly settled in 2144 (4 years before the discovery of mass effect physics by humans!) and has a population of several million.

Query: What is the best way to reconcile these Codex inaccuracies?

Wow, a pretty big inaccuracy. There needs to be a Mass Effect historian position, like there is for Star Wars. Someone who gets paid to keep all the lore and facts organized so mistakes like these don't happen.

[didymos1120]

Sgt Stryker wrote...

Query: What is the best way to reconcile these Codex inaccuracies?

You don't.  They're just errors that apparently weren't caught by proofreading.

[MajorStranger]

There are many colonies outside of the Alliance jurisdiction. Like Illium is outside of asari's jurisdiction and turian colonies rebelled against the Hierarchy which led to the Unification war.

[didymos1120]

VStar wrote...

Anhur, though, for example, appears to be an independent colony.

Which is a big reason why I can't take its ridiculously inflated population at all seriously.

Modifié par didymos1120, 26 juillet 2011 - 04:48 .

[Praetor Knight]

ThanesSniper wrote...

Sgt Stryker wrote...

 Of course there's also Trident, which was allegedly settled in 2144 (4 years before the discovery of mass effect physics by humans!) and has a population of several million.

Query: What is the best way to reconcile these Codex inaccuracies?

Wow, a pretty big inaccuracy. There needs to be a Mass Effect historian position, like there is for Star Wars. Someone who gets paid to keep all the lore and facts organized so mistakes like these don't happen.

Well, it could have been founded by another species, and then Humans moved in and thus became the largest group on the planet, since it is lawless.

And I got this link with a list of "Human Worlds"

[Shotokanguy]

I'd say it's ambiguous. It could be a retcon, could be a mistake, there could be some loophole explanation they have ready when they realized the contradiction in ME2.

[CroGamer002]

Sgt Stryker wrote...

 Of course there's also Trident, which was allegedly settled in 2144 (4 years before the discovery of mass effect physics by humans!) and has a population of several million.

Query: What is the best way to reconcile these Codex inaccuracies?

It doesn't say it's founded by humans.

It could have alien colony with large alien population that was given or sold to Alliance and later on millions of humans settled.

[marshalleck]

Sgt Stryker wrote...

I believe those ME2 planet entries are just a sign that BioWare needs to hire a Codex Guru guy.

 

They had one. He quit and went to work for ZeniMax Online Studios, a division of the company which owns Bethesda. 

Modifié par marshalleck, 26 juillet 2011 - 06:53 .

[Sgt Stryker]

marshalleck wrote...

Sgt Stryker wrote...

I believe those ME2 planet entries are just a sign that BioWare needs to hire a Codex Guru guy.

 

They had one. He quit and went to work for ZeniMax Online Studios, a division of the company which owns Bethesda. 

What do I have to do to get his job?