As a warning, this is very long. You probably will not want to read all of it, but this is my point-by-point take down on why the synthesis ending is utter nonsense in my opinion.
For the record, I like the synthesis ending for the reason that it's a "feel-good" denouement. Even if your choices throughout the game didn't affect things, you know that in the end, ultimately, good things happened and peace is achieved. Hooray!
Then, as soon as I start to actually think, the whole suspension of disbelief collapses on itself.
[1] First, the idea that you can somehow reliably fuse synthetics with organic genetic code is absurd at best. There is no way that this could be done to every single organism in the galaxy, each species having its own unique genetic code, without killing some (all?). Certainly, mental and bodily functions would be drastically altered. Biology is a very, very complex system. Everything is inter-linked, and even modifying a single gene (or protein conformation) can have off-target or secondary effects far downstream of the molecule itself. Biological systems are "engineered" by time and selection, and frankly, even minute disruptions to the structure of something like DNA would be catastrophic to how it works right now. It's just unreasonable to think that the Star-Child could compute and design a new DNA that also works perfectly, while ensuring that ALL other bodily functions continue to work. For every species. That's preposterous.
[2] Next, we have to consider a plot fallacy. The Crucible was, as far as we know, designed entirely as a weapon against the Reapers; the "destroy" capability. How does it, when linked to the Citadel/Star-Child, inexplicable "open new possibilities", as the Star-Child himself termed it? The plot hole that is the Crucible is described as a giant power source.. so how precisely does it allow for the dissemination of a wave that can alter everything's DNA. Destroy is somewhat believable; a destructive signal is sent throughout the galaxy. Control as well; a new set of instructions and commands. Synthesis? Not so much, unless the green wave is mutagenic, but that cannot be controlled to the already impossibly precise levels needed to achieve synthesis as depicted. Not to mention it also works in the inverse capacity of bringing to "life" synthetics, while simultaneously discriminating them from common non-sentient machines and tools like space ships.
Detractors may argue, the Crucible IS just an energy source. The "synthesis" capability is built into the Citadel, as it is presumed to be the Reapers' ultimate goal. Very well, but in this case, if this capability already existed, why couldn't the Reapers build their own power source? And furthermore, why did the Reapers try to destroy the plans for the Crucible in past cycles, if it was capable of producing their desired outcome? Because of the hand-waving explanation that organics weren't "ready"? Well, if you keep forcing them to start over every 50k years, I'm not sure they'd ever be ready. The reason implied that Shepard was "ready" is that (s)he successfully reached the Citadel, which has no makes no biological sense, especially since human DNA is not necessarily similar to that of any other species.
[3] This leads me to another point regarding DNA. All terrestrial species are carbon-based, and feature A, T, G, and C as the fundamental nucleotides. Is this likely to be true of any other species in the Mass Effect universe? Probably not. In fact, Prothean DNA is said to be quad-stranded. I'm not even saying that every species has different DNA (like humans vs dogs); every species isn't even guaranteed to use the same genetic monomers! But let's just presume every species in the galaxy ends up with the exact same DNA post-Crucible.
[4] The biggest problem is, I just don't believe synthesis would work to achieve galaxy peace. I'm not even concerned with the morality with forcing species-wide genetic mutations for conformity. Everything living on Earth today shares the same genetic base, but there's predation and parasitism. Even amongst humans, within the same species, we wage war, kill, and commit horrific crimes. This has nothing to do with our genetic homogeneity, but rather contrivances and wants derived from the thinking mind. As long as people will want, they will devise ways to take, and from this arises conflict. So unless the Crucible took away the free will of everything in the galaxy, there's no reason it would prevent warfare. The Krogan and the Turians may still fight. The remaining Batarians will still be pirates. War will still exist because the primary reason for conflict was not an issue of "type of life". Case in point: Didn't the geth and the quarians achieve peace and a pact to rebuild Rannoch together?
Now, I recognize the primary issue is specifically the conflict between synthetics and organics (I find it curious that the Leviathans/Star Child are not concerned with the far more prevalent conflicts between organics and organics... call it evolution? Then, what's wrong with synthetics in the first place?). But synthesis just makes it worse. Now, everyone is syntho-organic. You've stopped the conflict between synthetics and organics forever, because there are none left. That's great, but what about the inevitable future conflicts between syntho-organics and other syntho-organics? There is a false insinuation that after synthesis, the galaxy has universal understanding of everyone else. Even assuming a common syntho-DNA, peace is NOT guaranteed. And what if people develop future synthetics; will that not still lead to conflict, only this time between synthetics and syntho-organics? What about the inevitable rise of new organic life? This ultimately achieves nothing!
[5] Also, the glowing circuits don't make sense. The change is implied to be molecular. You wouldn't glow or have discrete circuits. Looks cool, though, I guess.
Ultimately, it feels to me like this is the choice they wanted you to pick. It's the "everyone is happy" ending, but frankly, it asks you just to accept that peace has been achieved, without giving a satisfying reason as to why. It also contradicts the powerful message of unity in the face of adversity, to a fight against a common enemy. You spend the whole game overcoming differences and recruiting everyone to your cause, just so we can be told they key to peace is conformity.
TL;DR:
[1]Biology is too complex to rewrite for every species, let alone on the fly.
[2]How the hell did the Crucible even manage to do that?
[3]Post-Crucible, everyone's DNA should still be different, but even if it wasn't...
[4]Conflict will still exist. And new organics and synthetics may still arise later. So nothing was solved.
Modifié par ybz, 03 novembre 2012 - 02:39 .
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