Arcian wrote...
Now, for me, the very end of ME2 is
where it all gets funky. The incomplete human-reaper, despite trying to
actively kill Shepard, shows no sign of actual intelligence or sapience,
much unlike the other Reapers who possess the capacity for advanced
thought and speech. Now, one could argue that the human-reaper's
incomplete state is to blame, but then again, machines cannot "mature"
the way we do. It acts more like a mindless mech than a creature with a
will of it's own.
Reapers are not just machines. They're a
hybrid of machine and organic material - in what ratio is anyone's
guess. So it is very plausible that the human Reaper acts like a
mindless machine because it is in an incomplete state via the organic
portion (the human goo) that is integrated into it.
Arcian wrote...
Now,
there is not much basis for this, but what if the Reapers - their ship
forms - are just another form of shells for the actual Reapers to assume
control of? Let's think about it. Harbinger has shown us that the
"Assuming Control"-part works in layers - he controlled the Collector
General, and through the General he could control the basic Collectors.
What if the Reaper ships (and in ME3, the Reaper scarabs) are just
another layer in this hierarchy of control?
It's possible,
but like you said, this idea stands on flimsy ground. Because Harbinger
controls the Collectors through the General doesn't mean someone else is
controlling the Collectors through the General through Harbinger.
Nothing in the game hints or suggests that the Reaper ships aren't
independent and sentient. Just the opposite. A few characters say that
the Reaper ships (specifically Sovereign) have a will of their own
(Saren, Benezia, Legion, Tim, and Sovereign himself). Granted, it's not
necessarily true just because they say it is, but then again, no one ever says that the Reapers are tools themselves and there are no hints to suggest that they are.
Arcian wrote...
Now, this next part
has no real basis either, but I believe it is worth mentioning. I have
long suspected that the twin relay to the Citadel Relay, out in dark
space, is actually a gigantic "mothership" and an ansible hub for Reaper
communication with each other and with their agents in the galaxy. It's
basically a mobile HQ where the Reapers organize their invasions, and
where all ships dock between cycles.
Why do you suspect this?
Arcian wrote...
Let's
go back to Harbinger's interest in Shepard. At first glance, you would
assume Harbinger wants Shepard so he can goo him down to Reaper mortar.
But Shepard's really just one man, and what kind of significant
difference could Shepard do in the grand scheme of building a new
Reaper? It would just be better to kill him off and be done with it.
Harbinger did try to kill Shepard (in the opening scene of ME2 and throughout the game) through the Collectors. Harbinger has two lines that he says in combat that support my assertion:
1. "Preserve Shepard's body
if possible."
2. "If I have to kill you, Shepard, I will."
Arcian wrote...
Since we've established the possibility that
the Reaper ships are just another layer in the control hierarchy, what
if the Harbinger wants Shepard as a control unit for the Human-Reaper,
in order to give it the intelligence and sapience exhibited by all the
other Reapers?
How can one human being be a "control unit"
over so many unshackled AIs or be as intelligent as a Reaper? Also, the
human Reaper had already started to be constructed while Shepard was
alive, and when the Normandy passed through the Omega 4 Relay, the
Collectors tried to destroy his ship. When he and his team infiltrated
the Collector Base, the Collectors tried to kill them. And you also said
yourself that the very Reaper Shepard is supposed to be a control unit
for tries to kill him.
Arcian wrote...
Going with the
idea the Dark Space Relay is a mobile HQ for the Reapers and that the
Reaper ships are just shells to be controlled, this would indicate that
the "real" Reapers are housed aboard this massive HQ superstructure,
using it's ansible to transfer their consciousness into the Reaper ships
and direct invasions personally. This protects them from actual harm,
and the "death" of one vessel does not compromise the overall
network.
You're vague about how they're housed in this Dark
Space Relay. Who are these real Reapers who make their home in a HQ
superstructure in dark space? Are they an organic species or a
collection of AIs? In either case, how do they control the multiple AIs
on the Reaper ships? If they couldn't indoctrinate the Geth how could they indoctrinate a another large group of AIs?
Arcian wrote...
But what are the real Reapers, then?
Well, my belief is that they are first and foremost members of the
original Reaper species, but also the heroes of conquered civilizations -
people of indomitable mind, body and spirit who through their actions
have earned the respect and admiration of the Reapers - who were
captured, infused with and brainwashed by Reaper technology, and then
connected into a massive neural network of minds sharing thoughts freely
between every and all Reaper control units, vessels, artifacts and the
Reaper HQ itself. The "hero" is then given a dreadnought shell to
possess - created from his or her own species - which will serve as his
or her new bodily vessel in service to the Reapers.
Unless they have another candidate in mind, they're actions toward Shepard don't support this idea.
Arcian wrote...
What makes me
believe this is because Legion says Reapers are basically a multitude
of AI processes working in unison, much like the geth. Now, I am not
saying that Legion is lying, but considering that both Sovereign and
Harbinger refer to themselves as "I" as opposed to "We", it implies that
these processes are not in charge of the ship, but are directed by a
singular consciousness. Since we know that Reapers take control of their
pawns via Reaper cybernetics (Saren in ME1, who was extensively
modified, and the Collectors in ME2, who had tech instead of organs), I
believe the Reapers assume control of these AI processes in the ship in
order to control the ship itself. Without the control unit, the AI
processes cannot do much more than maintain the ship's internal systems.
Legion points out the key difference between the Reapers and the Geth: Independence vs. Interdependence. As far as the information we're given, we know that each Reaper is "a nation, independent..." The Geth, on the other hand, are one nation, interdependent. As for the "I" and "We" pronouns, Harbinger uses both when refering to himself. Such as "
We are Harbinger..." and "
I know you feel this." So nothing implies that the individual AIs aboard each Reaper are not in charge of the ship. Again, why would the "real" Reapers be able to indoctrinate one group of AIs but not another (Reaper AIs vs. Geth AIs)? I already gave reasons why I don't agree that there is a "control unit."
Arcian wrote...
Even
Reapers who fail or have their vessels destroyed, like the derelict
Reaper and Sovereign, retain their worth in the network. I suspect that
this is what happened to Sovereign at the end of ME1. When it became
clear he was unable to stop Shepard from preventing the invasion with
husk-Saren and that his vessel was pretty much doomed from the massive
barrage pounding away at his shields, he released control which in turn
allowed the galactic fleets to destroy his vessel, conveniently
scattering Reaper technology everywhere for shady organizations
*coughcerberuscough* to collect. As the Reapers are still part of the
network, they can continue to exert the effect of indoctrination upon
those examining the remains of their vessels, as in the case of the
derelict Reaper and possibly Sovereign as well.
As I said, the Reapers are not interdependent, and so there is no network as you describe. The derelict Reaper's mind was gone, but it's indoctrination device (whatever it is), was still functioning. Also, I can't think of a reason why the Reaper network - just supposing it exists for a moment - would transfer the consciousness of one of the "real" Reapers into a Reaper ship that was destroyed over 100 millions years ago and which has been orbiting a gas giant for that same amount of time - motionless and inert.
Arcian wrote...
So, what does this tell us?
Basically,
if my theory is correct, we will have to travel to the Reaper HQ in
dark space in ME3 and blow it to hell in order to defeat them.
Destroying the HQ will destroy the neural network and the Reaper users,
rendering every single remaining ship defunct as well as permanently
eliminating the effect of indoctrination from Reaper technology.
I disagree. Besides, that's no lamer than the Independence Day scenario.
Retour en haut
The minds lack any type of individual memory that is not shared due to their networked nature, and due to sharing a single perspective, the individual minds have no individual identity, only their collective one. C) Your theory and any others I have not considered.
