He brought up an interesting question regarding the Starchild. Basically it was:
What purpose does that kid have?
Easy. It's a guide. A narrator. It explains you what choices you have, what buttons you have to push. There's also some fluff to explain why it's here and what it has to do with the Reapers (resulting in all the nonsense jazz we know). But technically, the kid has only one function: to explain you, the player, what option Shepard has.
In a way it's fascinating: that kid is more confusing than it helps. It simply should have been a VI of the Citadel and no AI, explaining you the three options in a more logical way. Something like that:
Shepard: What options do I have?
Station-VI: First, there is "destruction". This option may destroy all synthetic beings, however, it also may destroy all organic beings as well. You can also try to assume control over this station, forcing the synthetics you call "Reapers" to withdraw and stop the harvest. It may fail, however. And the third option may end an ancient conflict between synthetic and organics, but the results can not be computed by this VI. Not enough data.
Shepard: Do I have to pick one of those options?
Station-VI: Not enough data.
Shepard: Is there no other way to solve this conflict?
Station-VI: Not enough data.
Shepard: So it's a full risk. Destroying may end everything, Control may fail and the Reapers continue their work. And the third option may unleash something we can't control.
Station-VI: Please formulate a valid question.
Shepard: I should go.
But nooooo ... BW made him an AI and part of the Reapers. And there we have the mess, the big issue.
Or does TIM do the trick??
In a way TIM could have been a better narrator for the last decision.
TIM is an established, well known character. He's also the face you don't trust anymore, making your decision even MORE difficult. He simply could explain all three options from what he learned from studying the Crucible, the Citadel and the Prothean VI. After all, he's not dumb. His own choice is "Control".
However, placing TIM instead of Starchild comes with exactly one problem: Shepard needs to stop him before he can pick a choice but also needs to keep him alive to get all the info needed.
Could have been done 'though.
We ALSO could replace TIM with Anderson, but then we have the issue to explain why Anderson knows all the stuff. He doesn't, has no time to learn it. So TIM is the only option here.
Or something different?
Well, there is another solution to replace Starchild than TIM and a Station-VI: remove the decision part as whole.
Shepard simply hits one, big, effing button. And it unleashes a blast that either may hit the Reapers only or hits more targets if your EMS wasn't high enough. The lower EMS you have, the more losses you'll experience: first EDI, then the Geth, then a portion of organics, then more organics and finally all living and synthetic beings, stripping the galaxy of life. Also the outcome should depend a bit on your morality (without punishing renegade players).
Actually, that third solution would have left least questions and wouldn't have tried to give the Reapers a purpose. They simply are. Or better: they simply were. No need to explain why they exist.
In a way, Starchild messed up the whole story. And it's still in the EC. I can accept it given the fact BW was not changing the endings with the EC. However, they could have done it without adding to much new stuff. As I said: degrading the Starchild to a Station-VI could have worked already. A cold, monotonous voice, that's it. No "take this, it's better" and no stupid explanations.
Or TIM. Actually, I prefer that TIM-solution more and more, the more I think about it.
Or, as I said, something entirely different, based on morality, EMS and such - one button that gives you a result based on the way how you played your Shepard.
And I bet I wasn't the first one with that idea.
Just the (currently) last one being stupid enough to post the jazz.
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