Point #3: PhysicsHow does the Crucible work?
The simple answer: nobody knows.
Liara speculates that the device is capable of releasing tremendous amounts of energy, but so could the engine of a starship. Maybe the Protheans were building a massive starship with technology that could rival that of the Reapers?
Hackett clearly disagrees since he compares it to the atomic bomb created by the Manhattan Project. It's an unjust comparison in that he uses it to illustrate how scientists are as clueless now in regards to the Crucible as they were back then in regards to the atomic bomb, because at least the scientists back then had theories on what the bomb would do and how it worked. In fact, the device was tested before deployment. In ME3 it seems transparent that the scientists don't know what the heck they're building.
So, what could it be? If it is a bomb, as per Hackett's comparison, then even if it's capable of releasing tremendous amounts of energy, it must be detonated where it'll do the most damage. The most likely scenario would be to lure the majority of the Reapers someplace and then detonate the device, using the massive fleet Shepard put together to engage the rest. In this scenario, the Crucible would balance the scales a bit, nothing more, it'd give the galaxy a fighting chance.
Later in the game, however, we learn that the Crucible was designed to operate in conjunction with the Citadel. That's very interesting considering the Citadel is a relay itself and has control over the entire relay network. Here, the comparison with "Stargate: SG-1" is obvious enough.
In episode 816, "Reckoning," an army of advanced robots known as Replicators attack the galaxy, intent on destroying every civilization in search of raw materials (I'm oversimplifying it a bit). SG-1 discovers a weapon created by the Ancients on the planet Dakara, capable of reducing all matter to its basic elemental components, and/or restructuring it. SG-1 then reconfigures the device to emit a disruptor wave that targets the bonds keeping a Replicator in one piece. Since the device has limited range, however, they also reprogram the Stargates so the disruptor wave travels from gate to gate, thus covering the entire galaxy and destroying all Replicator forces.
The Replicators also have a leader figure that has complete control over them, and in the episode there's a mental duel between Daniel Jackson and this leader for control of the Replicator forces (I'm oversimplifying again). Jackson ultimately wins but the knowledge overwhelms him so that he's only able to maintain control for a few minutes. However, it buys SG-1 enough time to activate the superweapon and destroy all Replicators.
In light of ME3's ending, I'd say the
Dakara superweapon most closely resembles the actual operation of the Crucible. However, I'd still like to mention another superweapon also introduced in the Stargate Universe (not the series, mind you). This particular superweapon was introduced in episode 510 of "Stargate: Atlantis." Once again, it was a device created by the Ancients to put an end to their war with the Wraith (did I mention they also created the Replicators to end the Wraith? Yes, these guys erred big). Unlike the Dakara superweapon, the Attero device is not limited by range, it can be triggered anywhere in the galaxy and its effects will be felt everywhere. But how did it work?
The
Attero device was designed to disrupt the subspace frequencies associated with Wraith hyperdrive systems, causing Wraith ships to be destroyed as they passed through a hyperspace window. This explanation worked because it had previously been established in earlier seasons that Lantean (Ancient) hyperdrive technology was radically different from Wraith hyperdrive technology, meaning only Wraith ships would blow up. Even if the Wraith figured it out and chose not to travel through hyperspace, they'd be sitting ducks for the Lantean ships.
Then why wasn't it used, what's the catch? In the words of Rodney McKay, "
Ah, well, the catch is that Janus ran a three day test about ten thousand years ago and then shut the whole project down because of 'unforeseen side effects'." Those unforeseen side effects meant that active stargates would blow up as long as the Attero device was operational. Like I said before, when these guys made mistakes, they thought big.
Perhaps the Crucible could be a blend of both devices. It would function on a similar principle to the Attero device, targeting some technology that's unique to the Reapers, thus negating their ability to wage war in some form or another, but it would be short-range, requiring the use of the relay network to extend its influence, like the Dakara superweapon. In fact, it could possibly target the Reapers own version of a hyperdrive. After all, the Reapers managed to get to our galaxy surprisingly fast considering they didn't make use of the relay network. This would seem to suggest some advanced form of hyperdrive technology.
Enough speculation, why not simply deduce the Crucible's operation through the choices presented to us by the Catalyst? To begin with, the Catalyst states that the Crucible changed it and created "new possibilities." I thought it was an interesting statement because it seems to suggest the Catalyst is capable of enacting one scenario on his own, without the need of the Crucible.
In my mind, the only possible scenario he could conjure up is Control. After all, what’s Control other than some master override command transmitted all over the galaxy? For some inexplicable reason, however, the price tag in this case is Shepard’s life. I don’t mind having Shepard die, but I would appreciate some logical explanation as to why it’s necessary. In any event, this would mean that the "new possibilities" are, in fact, Destroy and Synthesis.
So, what does Destroy do? In the Destroy ending, the Crucible will inevitably destroy the Geth as well as the Reapers and will also affect anything that can be associated with the word “technology.” The only thing that makes some sense in my mind is if it worked after a massive EMP-like pulse, rendering anything technological useless. The result of such a pulse, however, would be too staggering to even imagine and the casualties would likely be more than just the Geth. For instance, just imagine what would happen to the fleet when their life support systems failed.
But why? This I would like to know. Let us assume the Crucible was built solely, or mostly, to destroy the Reapers. Why wouldn’t its creators design it solely for this purpose? Or was it an unintended side effect, like the stargates blowing up with the Attero device? Even then it makes little sense, not every piece of technology works on the same physical or mechanical principle. If the Crucible can destroy all technology, or at least render it useless, it must attack something common to all technology.
I can’t see the connection that will destroy the Geth either. The way I see it, the side effect with the Geth was intended as a price tag: you can destroy the Reapers, at the cost of destroying the Geth. It might make some sort of perverse symbolical sense but little else. A more realistic unintended consequence could have been the triggering of the Crucible resulting in a power build-up (and subsequent explosion) that would have harmed the Earth’s atmosphere at best, or blown up the planet at worst. That would put your other choices in a better light, wouldn’t it? You can save the galaxy at the cost of your planet, how about it? Is that a price you would be willing to pay?
As for Synthesis, it makes no sense the way it's presented. Any sort of organic-synthetic integration would require some form of bioengineering I suppose, similar to DXHR’s human augmentation. Shepard was resurrected in ME2 through a process similar to Jensen’s, and with a lot less raw material, so I’d say the ME universe is fairly advanced in this department. Hence the question we need to ask ourselves is, really, what sort of integration is the Catalyst talking about? Truly, I have no idea. Perhaps the Catalyst intends for the galaxy to share in some sort of collective hive mind like the Geth and the Reapers, to have multiple species unite under one civilization. Would this put an end to the Reapers’ purpose?
I guess it depends. The Reapers were built to prevent organics from creating advanced synthetics that would (eventually) turn on their creators. Why is it that organics create synthetics? Well, the most basic answer I can think of is so they can do the tasks that organics can't or won't do and that still require a great deal of complex thinking.
The "can't" part is simple enough to answer, we need only build better bodies for organics, bodies capable of working in the most hazardous conditions and with varying degrees of strength, speed, intelligence, etc. Since "one size fits all" wouldn't exactly work, bodies would need to be upgraded to suit the task, but these upgrades shouldn't be of a permanent nature.
As for the "won't" part, I'm not sure I can provide a satisfactory answer. I suppose the "hive mind" would reinforce the notion that all tasks are equally important and assign hybrids to work on different tasks. Perhaps this civilization would still require machines of some kind to do the tasks it simply refuses to do.
In any event, the point is that, Synthesis, as the ultimate solution to the organic-synthetic problem, must first answer either one of two questions: how it would end the creation of synthetics; or how it would stop the created from turning on their creators. As for the latter, it would also first have to answer why the created turn on their creators. The more variable the reason, the more difficult it'll be to devise a solution capable of tackling them all.
Still, I hope I've made it clearer that Synthesis, or some version of it, is not something that can be carried out simply by transmitting an energy pulse galaxy-wide. It would require the construction of a new hybrid body for both organics and synthetics. The Catalyst could've offered this to Shepard, to become the first new hybrid, arguing only he would survive the process for some reason or other (Shepard's special, right?). The Catalyst could've offered a compromise: if Shepard became the herald of this new civilization, the Reapers would retreat and observe this development. I'm simply suggesting things off the top of my mind here, I haven't entirely thought this scenario through to its conclusion.
In short, the evidence would suggest Bioware themselves have no idea how the Crucible works. The choices provided at the end don't naturally flow from the inner workings of this superweapon but rather from the writers' desire to introduce a different concept as the reason behind our struggle: that the Reapers exist to protect us from our creations eventually turning on us and destroying us; that the only solution to this problem is to become one with our creations and for them to become one with us in Synthesis; that Destroy will also result in the destruction of any technological creation that might harm us in the immediate future; and that Control turns us into the Catalyst so we might be free to seek our own solution to this problem.
That's the main issue I have with Point #3 and it also rounds up this analysis quite nicely. Not only does ME3 not explain how the Crucible works, but the consequences of using the Crucible are manufactured around the creator-created problem. As a result, the Crucible is no longer a machine with a set of physical rules that govern its function but rather a narrative device introduced by the writers to push forward an agenda we didn't even know existed.
Modifié par OdanUrr, 07 décembre 2012 - 11:55 .
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