simonrana wrote...
I can see your point Constant Motion. I don't personally agree with it but I can see this is ultimately a matter of interpretation.
To me the big take away from the ME2 conversations was that Mordin looked at all the facts and recognised his genophage work was the lesser of all alternative evils (remember how he talked about considering "thousands" of different scenarios?) and ME3 gave no convincing arguments to show that a genophage cure wouldn't still lead to disaster.
Even Eve the "saviour" has some pretty big problems. She states her dedication to and belief in the importance of "preserving the ancient ways". Take her comments of wisdom coming from pain and the ME2 male shaman's insight into what shaman's reperesent and it takes you in a troubling direction.
Also remember the confrontation on Rannoch? We see Wrex completely fail to talk down the krogan from killing Mordin even when they've been told he's here to cure the genophage. Eve steps in and prevents them but think of how she succeeds, she gives them the scenarios:
1 ) Fester in old wounds like the Krogan have always done (by killing the salarian,as they seem so intent on doing, even at the cost of a genophage cure)
2 ) Fight the most terrible of foes (we know how Krogan feel about having good enemies to fight) and win a new future for our children.
Would her talk have dissauded them if it didn't include the allure of facing down the mightiest of enemies they would ever have the honor of battling? Maybe, but I for one am not convinced. If the options were "kill the salarian" or "do [something not violent] that works towards a better krogan future" I think they'd opt to kill the salarian.
That's cool - I can see your point, too!
I think the scene you describe on Tuchanka epitomises it, for me, though. The krogans, I agree, would've killed the salarian, and they're the same bloodthirsty criminals that krogans are seen to be throughout the galaxy. They don't, however, kill the salarian, and the reason they don't kill the salarian is because some krogan are better.
The krogan that confront Mordin on Tuchanka are products of their time, their planet, and to some extent, in their defence, their situation. They're not a species I'd want to trust with the run of the galaxy. But the krogans that Mordin's been living with in the time between games don't fit that bloodthirsty stereotype. The krogans he's been working with aren't the hardened war-criminals responsible for the krogan rebellions - yes, Eve can handle herself in a fight, but they're just people, and they're victims of their species' reputation. He's a doctor, and the krogan have become his patients, who he's sworn to care for - the net result of which is, he's spent six months living with and tending to concrete proof that not all krogan are hardened warriors. Many are, but does that mean all krogan have to live with the consequences?
It's a very tough dilemma, to which there's no right answer, but I think he's learnt a lot between games. He's seen more of the krogan, seen the consequences of his decisions, and woken up each day to face the innocents he's persecuted just the same as the criminals he's pragmatically helped quell. Keep in mind, too, that he's a doctor, nearing the end of his life, and that salarians, as a species, are prone to slightly rash decisions what with their short lifespans. I think a doctor like Mordin Solus would prefer the last act of his life to be one of healing.
Because Mordin's philosophy, right from the moment we first met him, is that there are lots of ways to help people: sometimes you heal patients, sometimes you execute dangerous people. The genophage, as he's increasingly being shown, doesn't fit either template as snugly as he'd have liked to believe. This is one problem he can't solve, he can't have it both ways at once. The krogan aren't all villains and the salarians, as the Dalatrass and their biological warfare projects demonstrate, aren't all heroes. Mordin's put under pressure and asked to execute the patients he's worked so hard to save for crimes other krogans committed. Because that's the choice - he can either doom patients or heal dangerous people. Of course he flips out! That's a
bastard of a choice for any doctor - but for one so personally invested, I think it's completely in character that he thinks with his heart for a few minutes.
That doesn't mean his conclusion is correct. There's no right answer to the dilemma, and the scene on Tuchanka quite deftly shows the player both sides of the story. There's the fierce, bloodthirsty krogan that the galaxy might be better rid of, and there's at least one strong, diplomatic krogan that might bring about a culture the galaxy could be richer for. And Mordin himself changes depending on the circumstances - if those diplomatic krogan are no longer present, Mordin can absolutely be persuaded that the krogan don't yet deserve their second chance. But, given what he learns across his two games, I fully understand why Mordin turns out the way he does. Events change him, and he reacts to life in a way that I think is very realistic - and that, to me, is a triumph of character.
But I understand and respect that you feel differently! I'm not trying to convince anyone, I just love Mordin, love the arc, and enjoy discussing it.
Modifié par Constant Motion, 04 mars 2013 - 04:05 .
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