ChaplainTappman wrote...
rapscallioness wrote...
My speculation is that Shepard is going to get Crucified. Publicly. It's not going to be a quiet affair because:
I think you're both right and wrong. I think the idea is to, as I've said, put on a song and dance for the batarians and publicly crucify Shepard. But immediately after the trial, they'll put Shepard right back to work. Maybe take him out of the field, make him a supervisory agent. But he's too useful to waste.
And I think you're overstating the fear/distrust/hate leveled at humans. It exists, no doubt, and it's very strongly felt. But it's not felt by those in power. At least, it's not in evidence by their words and actions, save the turian Council member, who's never liked or trusted Shepard. Consider: the Turian Hierarchy, after the Battle of the Citadel, support greatly improved relations with the Alliance, even going so far as to suggest a role for humanity in galactic peacekeeping on par with the turians. Humanity's consistently had very good relations with both the salarians and the asari, and there's no indication that the Salarian Union or Asari Republics have changed their opinions on humanity. The salarians in particular are and have been natural allies of humanity. So the Council really doesn't want to ****** humanity. And I doubt that popular human sentiment is going to fall on the side of the batarians over that of Shepard, the first human Spectre and Hero of the Citadel. Colonists are going to be especially pro-Shepard, since he just risked his life to protect them from the Collectors.
In the Council itself, both the asari and salarian Council members seem to support Shepard. You seemed to read a negative tack to their reinstatement of Shepard's Spectre status that I don't feel. If they genuinely didn't like Shepard and didn't trust and support him, they wouldn't reinstate his Spectre status, with all the rights and privileges associated. If you watch that cutscene, it makes it appear that the nonhuman Councillors agreed to offer reinstatement to Shepard prior to the meeting, without Anderson's input. That means that at least two of them support Shepard, even after it becomes apparent that he's associated in some way with an organization that is diametrically and violently opposed to them. And I might be reading too much into it, but the asari Councillor's last line suggests to me that, at least in her opinion, Shepard would be welcome back into the fold after he gets out from under whatever deal he has with Cerberus.
Like I said, I think that, publicly, Shepard's going to get reamed. But it'll all be a front. Neither the Alliance nor the Council, to me, gains anything by actually going through with prosecuting Shepard. Better to pretend to crucify him, slap him on the wrist, and send him back out. Hell, maybe they'll publicly strip him of his Spectre status, "exile" him from Citadel space, and set him up in the Terminus. Let him operate as a Spectre, only without official Council sanction.
Or at any rate, that's what will/might happen if the Reapers don't show up and cause everyone to come crying for Shepard to save them.
You make some very good points. Perhaps I did overstate the alien...resentment/fear/distrust.
Yes, the Council reinstated Shepard's Spectre status; although it seemed to me they were a heartbeat away from bringing her up on charges of treason. The only saving grace was that Shepard saved their lives. However, all that was b4 the Arrival. humanity was definitey making inroads pass the stereotypes of humanity, and in no small part because of Shepard. But the Arrival incident throws the whole effort back to the stone age. Just when we were beginning to get there, this happens. And everything they thought in the first place about humanity, flares up again. And of course the next thought will be "what will humanity do to us?" All that old stuff wasn't buried deep. There are going to be alot of "I told you so's" abt. humanity.
As far as the Alliance, I don't think they like Shepard anymore. Not just because she single handedly threw humanity's efforts out the window, but also because Shepard is seen as a traitor to the Alliance. Except for maybe Hackett and Anderson. And how do they feel abt. the Reapers? It seems the vast majority don't believ in the Reapers. The ones that do, won't admit it. Even if the Alliance doesn't feel actively hostile towards Shepard, although I think they will, at the very least they're going to think she's gone off the deep end. It happens to the best. You don't slap a traitor and/or nut case on the wrist and put them back to work for you.
They wanted to bring Shepard in for "questioning" just for being w/ Cerberus. They promised Hackett they'd only keep her for 4-6 months...if she was cooperative. Now she goes off and blows up a star system and kills 300k Batarians. Of all species, the Batarians. The Alliance is still weak from the Citadel War. Thanks to Shepard they're staring down a full fledged war w/ the Batarians. Shepard may have very well outlived her usefulness.
Yes, I think the humans are very much pro Shepard. I think. I don't have alot to go on abt. human perception of Shepard, after she joined Cerberus. Shepard is back in the news, but she's portrayed as a criminal. Shepard is "surrounding herself w/ killers, criminals, and mercenaries". I can see alot of ppl thinking, "what, another rogue Spectre?"
I'm sure humans have no particular love for the Batarians, but it's not really abt. the Batarians as it is that because of Shepard's actions humanity is threatened in the extreme. Humanity is on the brink of a very nasty war becasue of one person, Shepard. The one that threw down the Alliance to work w/ a terrorist organization.
Even still, I think Shepard would be popular, especially w/ the colonists as you pointed out. Although, I read something...I can't site it, but it was some kinda Codex page. In any case, they were talking abt. the colony abductions and how "as mysteriously as they began, they mysteriously ended". This is something I always wondered abt. Does anyone even know Shepard was the one that blew up the Collector base, or that a Collector base was blown up at all? Does anyone know Shepard was the one that actually stopped the abductions?
It was on the news that "some strange energy was detected coming from the Omega 4 Relay...the Alliance is investigating." That was it. So, if no one knows what shepard did, then she's not that big of a hero anymore. She saved the Citadel, but on earth, the Citadel is some faraway thing. Most os the ppl on earth stay on earth. They have neither the money, nor position to be space faring. The attack on the Citadel was not seen as a direct threat to them. A war w/ the Batarians will be seen that way.
But my point in all this tl;dr part of my post is that imo the Alliance will still spin Shepard's image to the residents of earth because they don't want a public outcry for even puttin Shepard on trial. Even if it's just a show, the humans are going to see the same show as the Batarians. (I don't think it will be show, tho). An aggressive smear campaign is called for in such a situation, and the Alliance are no innocent pups. They know how to spin.
As you can tell, I actually hope it will be a big deal. I want it to be dramatic. The "Hero" usually goes thru kinda stuff. Shepard already ahd to spend time in the underworld...working w/ Cerberus; being pretty well cut off from all she holds dear. Following the Hero's path a generous dose of scorn always comes into play...right b4 redemption.
How BW is actually going to do it? I wish I knew. March can't get here soon enough. But I think speculation abt. the trial is one of the most interesting threads in this place, yet there very few recent ones. What could happpen? Who might be there? What kinda goods do they have on Shepard? And really what is the reaction to this mess? What does the public at large think abt Reapers?
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I know Liara is technically the SB, but.......you know...Shepard's running that Lair, too.
