First, an observation... Mass Effect and ME2 both follow branching paths that ultimately end in the same place. In ME1, Sovereign is destroyed. In ME2, the human/reaper construct is destroyed. The details may vary, but the end result is the same no matter what choices you make. ME3 tries to deliver the opposite, and that's why the ending fails to work for so many. In ME3, Bioware attemps to resolve the details before the ending so that it can create the illusion of being able to choose divergent endings. The details affect the choice, albeit in an arbitrary way (war
asests), not the ending. This was, imo, a mistake.
This brings me to the crucible. It's failure as a plot device is rooted in the fact that you're told what it does (sort of [it defeats the reapers] ), but not how it accomplishes that. It's too ambiguous. Had bioware decided to give the crucible a singular, explicit purpose revealed at some during the narrative, not neccesarily at the beginning either, I believe it would have made weaving the past decisions of the series into the endings a much simpler matter.
So, with all preamble out of the way, here is my idea (please feel free to addend, augment, argue, or submit your own) to what the purpose of the crucible should have been...
Had I written the game, the crucible would have been a device that releases an energy pulse that temporarily disrupts the operation of any and all mass effect technology. In short, it would produce a sort of Mass Effect
EMP. This would, in turn, provide a brief window for the organic races of the galaxy to fight the reapers in a vulnerable, though not defenceless, state. ie., on equal ground. Also, this is predicated on the belief that no matter who lives, who dies, and how any given race fares when the smoke clears, the reapers are destroyed. Or at least
beaten back. A little post ending dlc to finish the fight would have been okay with me, as long as the ultimate threat of the reapers is resolved in the main story.
The details can, and should, vary here. Perhaps depending on, gasp, war assets. Yes, those little numbers filed
under crucible could have an actual role to play in determing the effectiveness of the device itself.
Do organics develop a way to shield themselves from the crucibles effects? Can it backfire/overload and outright destroy some ME dependent tech/ships? Will having this raceor that in the final battle alter how effective your fleet is in combating the reapers before the opportunity is lost? Etc, etc.
You could even have starchild, as an avatar of Harbinger, trying to dissuade Shepard from activating the crucible with some explanation better than WARNING: SPOILER (sorry, but it's nothing that hasn't been posted in here 50,00 times) "We, as synthetics, destroy organics to prevent synthetics from destroying organics". It probably still wouldn't make sense, but fewer people might care. It's really circular nonsense imo, but I haven't come up with a better reason for the reapers existence yet.
If someone has already posted this idea then I guess I'm late to the party. I felt like it was a really good idea when I thought of it, but haven't searched for it elsewhere. And if you've actually read all of my musing then I thank you!
Modifié par Cancer Puppet, 12 avril 2012 - 11:54 .
Retour en haut
