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[Geoff Pinkerton]

Cerberus have been somewhat inconsistently portrayed throughout the trilogy.

 

In ME1 they were a largely unknown Alliance Black Ops outfit gone rogue.

 

In ME2 they were a human supremacist terrorist group known to any number of factions and individuals.

 

In ME3 they were the Evil Empire. An army able to operate across space and the second greatest threat to galactic civilisation.

 

Cerberus appears to be a radically different organisation in each instalment of the trilogy. In ME2 they were clearly retconned , while the ME3 incarnation existed largely to provide an alternative enemy faction (their role in the game having more to do with the requirements of multiplayer than the actual story).

 

It would be easy to dismiss all this as laziness on the part of the writers but I think these changes can easily be accommodated within the lore. This actually requires very little head cannon, as long as the following questions are addressed.

 

1 : How can ME2 Cerberus be the same organisation from ME1?

 

2 : Why is the existence of Cerberus common knowledge in ME2 while it was almost completely unknown in ME1?

 

3 : How does Cerberus transform itself from the small if powerful organisation Shepard worked with in ME2 into the

     massive military machine he/she fought against in ME3?

 

 

Question 1 : How can this be the same organisation?

 

Cerberus are known to have agents and supporters within the Alliance military. This is assumed by most people in ME2 while the large presence of ex Alliance personnel within Cerberus and the group's involvement in the design of the original Normandy confirms this. I think that the group encountered in ME1 are a Cerberus cell working undercover as an Alliance Black Ops outfit.

 

There is an in game precedent for this kind of covert action by Cerberus. In ME2 during Jack's loyalty mission on Pragia one of the Cerberus scientists talks about shutting down the Teltin facility and instead piggybacking onto the Alliance Ascension program. 

 

What Rear Admiral Kahoku discovers in ME1 is a similar infiltration. Without prior knowledge of Cerberus, Kahoku assumes the organisation to be an Alliance project rather than part of an outside agency (an understandable error as it's actually both) . Kahoku's investigation is blocked by Cerberus agents and supporters within the upper echelons of the Alliance.

 

The Cerberus of ME1 is a single cell, one part of the organisation embedded within the Alliance. The Cerberus of ME2 is the greater part of that organisation. 

 

 

Question 2 : Why is Cerberus so well known in ME2?

 

Two years is a long time in politics. I think that Kahoku's investigation and subsequent murder in ME1 reveals the existence of Cerberus to a wider galaxy. The assassination of such a high ranking Alliance officer becomes a major scandal that Cerberus is unable to contain. Further investigation of Cerberus brings to light numerous operations going back years. Only after the events of ME1 is the long history of Cerberus discovered. Numerous terrorist acts and controversies previously thought unconnected are now attributed to Cerberus.  As a result Cerberus'  influence within the Alliance is substantially reduced by ME2. By the time Shepard is revived in ME2 Cerberus are infamous throughout the galaxy.

 

There are real life examples of this situation. The Watergate Affair in 1975 prompted a much wider investigation into illegal and morally dubious actions by US intelligence agencies. While Watergate itself was an act of petty burglary the resulting scandal led to the Church Committee hearings the same year. The Committee discovered that Watergate was positively moribund in comparison with other governmental crimes. Senator Church revealed a catalogue of crimes committed by the CIA, FBI and NSA  most of which had been kept from the public for decades. A more recent analogy would be Al Quaida , who were active for several years before becoming a household name with the attack on the USS Cole in 2000.

 

 

Question 3 : How did Cerberus become an army in ME3?

 

The Illusive Man is aware of the Reaper threat and has prepared accordingly. There is a reference to military mobilisation in the Cerberus entry in ME2's Codex :

 

'Counterterror experts speculate Cerberus may have changed leadership with it's recent shift to STOCKPILING SHIPS, AGENTS AND WEAPONS' ( Emphasis added )

 

The change in leadership is pure speculation as the Codex entry makes clear but the reason for the shift in policy is undoubtedly the events of ME1. Sovereign's attack on the Citadel is final proof of the Reaper threat while the destruction of the Alliance cell and subsequent loss of influence within the human military makes Cerberus humanity's first and last line of defence as far as the Illusive Man is concerned. Cerberus know that war is coming and now need their own army.

 

While Cerberus have been building the infrastructure for an army since before ME2 their successful recruitment drive in ME3 is explained in game. The Sanctuary facility is used to convert civilians into shock troops using Reaper tech and indoctrination .Cerberus has been researching this as early as ME1. Sanctuary only starts operating once the Reaper invasion is underway but all this has clearly been prepared for in advance. This scheme may well have been set in motion as soon as Shepard was sent to Horizon in ME2.

 

The Cerberus troops encountered on Mars have been recruited and augmented from regular Cerberus personnel prior to the Reaper invasion. It is quite feasible that these early ME3 Cerberus encounters are with a limited strike force and don't necessarily suggest Cerberus has an entire army quite yet. Cerberus has a military wing but only has an army when Sanctuary is up and running. This is possibly why General Petrovsky has to supplement his own forces with Rampart Mechs and use Containment Fields to police Omega. He simply doesn't have enough troops at this point.

 

None of this contradicts the nature of the organisation in ME2. Cerberus are certainly larger than previously thought but only become an army after the Reapers invade and Sanctuary starts up. In ME2 our main sources of information regarding Cerberus' size and organisational structure are EDI and Miranda. I doubt either lied to Shepard but they simply wouldn't have access to all Cerberus data . Compartmentalisation is standard MO for this organisation.

 

In the Omega DLC General Petrovsky is described by Aria as the Illusive Man's best kept secret. Given this and his military rank I think Petrovsky was tasked with building up Cerberus' nascent army from ME1 onwards. This became a priority when the Illusive Man lost his influence in the Alliance military as outlined under Question 2. The mobilisation was in anticipation of the Reaper invasion and was kept separate from all other Cerberus operations until then under General Oleg.      

 

                 

 

 

       

[Fixers0]

While I appreciate the effort I unfortunately don't believe conjecture and supposition should cover for poor writing.

[sH0tgUn jUliA]

1) The Illusive Man had someone follow one of the Shadow Broker's grocery shoppers back to the ship in between ME1 and ME2, and once back, the Cerberus operative beat the guy senseless and threw him over the side. Since they never take their helmets off no one recognized him. He delivered the supply of groceries and assumed his regular duties as a security guard.

 

Then while the Shadow Broker was sleeping he walked into the unlocked office of the SB and planted listening devices all over the place, and planted a QE transmitter on the SB's computer so that TIM would have all the intel that the SB would have.

 

OR

 

2) Maya Brooks captured and interrogated a SB agent in between ME1 and ME2 and interrogated him. Located the ship, and gave the information to TIM.

 

3) Maya Brooks did the same as in #2 except turned the agent double, and the agent did everything in #1 that the Cerberus agent did.

 

4) Some combination of the three.

 

Then once it was know that Commander Shepard, hero of the Battle of the Citadel was alive and working for Cerberus, The Illusive Man started a massive PR campaign.

 

Between ME2 and ME3, TIM started printing credits with his picture on them. The banking industry, desperate for the cash flow during the war, accepted them.

 

Watergate was in 1972. Nixon resigned in 1974.

[Hello!I'mTheDoctor]

Your ME2 assertion is false. Cerberus are not terrorists, nor are they human supremacists.

[Excella Gionne]

Cerberus in a nutshell:

 

1) The Illusive Man had someone follow one of the Shadow Broker's grocery shoppers back to the ship in between ME1 and ME2, and once back, the Cerberus operative beat the guy senseless and threw him over the side. Since they never take their helmets off no one recognized him. He delivered the supply of groceries and assumed his regular duties as a security guard.

 

Then while the Shadow Broker was sleeping he walked into the unlocked office of the SB and planted listening devices all over the place, and planted a QE transmitter on the SB's computer so that TIM would have all the intel that the SB would have.

 

OR

 

2) Maya Brooks captured and interrogated a SB agent in between ME1 and ME2 and interrogated him. Located the ship, and gave the information to TIM.

 

3) Maya Brooks did the same as in #2 except turned the agent double, and the agent did everything in #1 that the Cerberus agent did.

 

4) Some combination of the three.

 

Then once it was know that Commander Shepard, hero of the Battle of the Citadel was alive and working for Cerberus, The Illusive Man started a massive PR campaign.

 

Between ME2 and ME3, TIM started printing credits with his picture on them. The banking industry, desperate for the cash flow during the war, accepted them.

 

Watergate was in 1972. Nixon resigned in 1974.

Thanks for the FAX!

 

 

I know that now.

[Excella Gionne]

Cerberus is an idea.

[von uber]

Ah Cerberus, executing prisoners since 1854:

 

 

Always struck me as odd this, as it implies a degree of self will. Which doesn't quite tie into them all being Reaper husks..

[ImaginaryMatter]

How do you make sense out of that which is nonsensical?

[Excella Gionne]

Ah Cerberus, executing prisoners since 1854:

 

 

 

Always struck me as odd this, as it implies a degree of self will. Which doesn't quite tie into them all being Reaper husks..

Even though he was shot in the leg, the blast looks it aimed for his groin. OUCH! And lol, who knew Combat Engineers had the balls to threaten without their precious turrets?

[Matthias King]

In support of your first and second questions, in ME1, you're operating within the 'borders' of Council space for virtually the entire game, whereas in ME2, you're operating outside those borders in the lawless Terminus virtually the entire time.  It stands to reason that, 1, Cerberus cells were smaller, their reach shorter, and their profile much lower inside of Council space, and that, 2, the opposite is true in the Terminus.  The Council doesn't concern themselves with the Terminus and can't commit many resources to policing it or keeping tabs on all the goings-on there.

 

So in ME1, Cerberus might appear to be a small group without much power, but in reality, they were much bigger and more far-reaching than most within Council space knew.  

 

Example: Somali pirates might not seem like a big deal to people living and going about their lives in the United States, and may not be a topic of daily discussion to them, but by contrast, spend some time in the Gulf of Aden and they'll be a much bigger deal.

 

In Council space, most people, even many within the Council races' governments and militaries, may have heard something at some point or another about some group called Cerberus, or possibly never even heard anything at all about them.  But in the Terminus, on a place like Omega, it's likely more people there have heard of Cerberus and possibly even had dealings with them.

[Dale]

Looks like in ME1, there were other Cerberus-like factions (like ExoGeni).   I'm not sure if that was the PRE-Cerberus name or just one company Cerberus bought out (maybe rivals) -- but they acted like the same to me.   The experiments done on humans THEN --  explains clearly the happenings with Jack -- even though in ME2 there was an email saying “Cerberus shut down that facility”.   Then Project Overlord re-affirms their treachery, desperation & clumsiness --  then a later email says "we're so sorry about David -- who is now receiving the best medical treatment".   All kinds of mixed signals here.   Likely explained 1^st line of next paragraph:

 

Cerberus really appeals to our ego and interests as it did with the scientists who “finally realized they were working for the wrong side”.   Since TIM is a dictator like lots of egocentric azzholes in the business world, he could not be dethroned and replaced by someone more “respectable”.  TIM pushed his luck too hard….but I see a pattern here.  Didn’t he say at the start of ME2 “I’ve been studying the reaper problem all my life”.   What?  Shep only discovered the reapers (Sovereign) in ME1 which was a few years earlier.   Even if he rubbed shoulders with Bryson, that would not account for “all my life”.   This to me is the biggest TIM mystery.

 

Since the Council has always been at the top of my sh*t list (which including lots of others on this forum), WHERE ELSE can we turn to in ME2?   Cerberus came across as humanity’s "savior" in ME2 because of the vacuum left by the "stupid dumb jackasses" (Udina) and "weeds of the galaxy" & "blankety-blank back stabbers" (Shep).   TIM is VERY smart (though "very evil" per the scientists & Jacob in ME3) so he took full advantage of this and came across as even “respectable” to me in ME2.  No doubt during that time -- Cerberus was growing & becoming stronger when ME3 began.

 

In my view, a great LEADER would have clearly communicated to Shep & company what future plans he had for them AFTER the final mission.   This would serve two purposes (1) encourage them that it might NOT be a suicide mission for all, and (2) something they could look forward to afterward.    As I saw it, there was nothing afterwards -- even if you DO decided to kiss TIM’s butt and save the collector base. 

 

Uhhhh – how much did the SR2 cost?  Now TIM has a formidable ship & loyal crew at his disposal – but the implication is “thanks loads guys, keep the SR2, go have some fun and tell the Alliance “howdy” for me, okay?   How about “after you take down the collector base, you & yours are entitled to a little R&R and afterwards, I have another important assignment for you to defeat the reapers – starting on Mars”.   

 

Judging TIM’s character, it is obvious he refers to people as “most valuable asset” when working for him --- and “a disposable tool” afterward.  The Normandy crew saw thru this and thus 100% abandoned him.   Brilliant, but not a leader anyone wants to follow.   He showed his colors when he set the TRAP for them on the collector ship (ME2).  If I was Shep, I would have turned back after the first 100 yards when not seeing any collectors.  I would have said “this smells too fishy so let’s send in a ROV to scout out the area first”.  But then you need some BAD guys to fight in a video game, right?

 

I see your point –  Cerberus went from bad to worse (ME2-ME3).   In my humble expert opinion (“that was a joke, EDI”), I believe TIM became indoctrinated somewhere between ME2 and ME3 during his acquisition of numerous reaper artifacts and technology.  In the Asari temple, the Prothean VI said “in the previous cycle there was a splinter group trying to CONTROL, rather than DESTROY  the reapers”.   To which Shep said “we have the same thing going on now in this cycle”.  BTY-the VI said “indoctrinated presence detected” when Kai showed up.   I don’t believe that is a coincidence.   The reapers have lots of experience with divide-and-conquer.  Catalyst admitted “we control him” (TIM).

 

I’d be curious about other forum readers thoughts along this line --  from the things that Javik said.

[100k]

Cerberus' potrayal throughout the series has been controversial amongst fans. While I suspected by the end of ME2 that Cerberus would play an antagonistic role in ME3, I never imagined that they would be changed so severely. What gets me most is that, while ME3's Cerberus makes sense (in a clumsy sort of way) it completely contradicts ME2!

 

ME2 -- Cerberus stops Collectors from abducting human colonies which are being turned into reaper forces

ME3 -- Shepard stops Cerberus from abducting human colonies which are being turned into reaper forces

 

And you never get a chance to confront TIM with this contradiction either.

[Geoff Pinkerton]

Sorry for the bad history lesson. You're right on Nixon and Watergate. Have always found what came out of Watergate more interesting than the scandal itself. Like I said it was just an act of petty burglary. 1975 was the Church Committee hearings that were a response the Nixon scandal that detailed all kinds of nasty stuff that made Watergate seem irrelevant. I always assumed it was the same year. Thanks for the correction. 

[Hello!I'mTheDoctor]

Cerberus' potrayal throughout the series has been controversial amongst fans. While I suspected by the end of ME2 that Cerberus would play an antagonistic role in ME3, I never imagined that they would be changed so severely. What gets me most is that, while ME3's Cerberus makes sense (in a clumsy sort of way) it completely contradicts ME2!

 

ME2 -- Cerberus stops Collectors from abducting human colonies which are being turned into reaper forces

ME3 -- Shepard stops Cerberus from abducting human colonies which are being turned into reaper forces

 

And you never get a chance to confront TIM with this contradiction either.

 

Well, the difference is that 1) at this point, we need boots on the line, and Cerberus is technically doing that, and 2) the civilians are being turned into Cerberus forces.

 

Honestly, there is a difference between what TIM is doing and what the Collectors are doing.

[Seboist]

Two words: "Plot Clay"

 

Cerberus turns into whatever the writer(s) want them to be at any given time. 

[Geoff Pinkerton]

Regarding Cerberus in ME2. I think human supremacist is fairly accurate although I know Cerberus prefers the term human survivalist. It does seem to me that they want humanity in power even if they don't necessarily hate aliens. Kelly Chambers ties to defend them at one point but comes across as naïve. I think the Normandy SR2 crew are far from being typical of Cerberus , its clear they 've been selected specifically to work with Shepard. Most of them are recent recruits who are working with Cerberus to take down the Collectors I don't think they have much affinity with the organisation beyond that. Miranda's the only real ideologist amongst them.

 

They've certainly committed terrorist acts. Its detailed in the Codex not to mention what they were up to in ME1. Jacob admits they've been called terrorists with good reason. I don't buy the notion that all the bad stuff that Cerberus has done was due to rogue elements, we see enough of their methods in ME1 and ME2 to know they've never been good guys.

[Hello!I'mTheDoctor]

Regarding Cerberus in ME2. I think human supremacist is fairly accurate although I know Cerberus prefers the term human survivalist. It does seem to me that they want humanity in power even if they don't necessarily hate aliens. Kelly Chambers ties to defend them at one point but comes across as naïve. I think the Normandy SR2 crew are far from being typical of Cerberus , its clear they 've been selected specifically to work with Shepard. Most of them are recent recruits who are working with Cerberus to take down the Collectors I don't think they have much affinity with the organisation beyond that. Miranda's the only real ideologist amongst them.

 

They've certainly committed terrorist acts. Its detailed in the Codex not to mention what they were up to in ME1. Jacob admits they've been called terrorists with good reason. I don't buy the notion that all the bad stuff that Cerberus has done was due to rogue elements, we see enough of their methods in ME1 and ME2 to know they've never been good guys.

 

Human supremacist has a lot of sharp, racist  undertones to it, and Cerberus really aren't racist in any way. You see a lot more of that among the general alliance at large. Kelly is naive, yes. However, I wouldn't necessarily say that the Cerberus crew is entirely atypical of the rest of Cerberus. Looking at the data logs from other stations and Cerberus Projects, it's very clear that there really isn't much difference between what we see on the Normandy and with the majority of the people shown with Cerberus cells at large. I'm going to dispute your statement on them being new recruits, as there is no real evidence to support this assessment. Indeed, according to several personnel, it's implied that several have been with Cerberus for quite some time, namely the parts where Cerberus is taking care of its members' families. And Miranda raises some very valid points with the organization at large. Every single operation had a practical application and usable outcome that justified the proceedings and rationale behind them, except the Rachni, which was admitted as a failure and a mistake.

 

They haven't committed any actions I would call 'terrorist'. And I'm going to trust my judgement, seeing as I've dedicated the last 8 years of my life fighting global terrorism and understanding it. What they were up to in ME1 can hardly be considered terrorism. First, you need to understand the definition of terrorism: broadly, it's the actions of a group that are motivated by an avowed political agenda and with aims to achieve a political goal. Cerberus never really acts like this until ME3, and by that point, they've engaged in open war with the rest of the galaxy.

 

I disagree on the notion of 'bad stuff' and judging by their methods in ME1 and ME2, it's clear to me that they're more than willing to do whatever it takes to achieve their purpose and stop the Reapers. I'd proudly stand by them over the alliance any day. They're far more 'good' than the ignorant cowards who hide behind their honor back at the alliance and Council

[sH0tgUn jUliA]

Terrorism... in ME1 no. Prior to ME1, yes. They earned a reputation in 2070 trying to create human biotics by blowing up starships over human colonies hoping the refined eezo would do the trick. The freighters were mostly human, and belonged to Eildfeld-Ashland Energy, the company that was bankrolling much of the colonial effort. That was where it earned its reputation as a terrorist organization.

[von uber]

I was wondering when massively would show up; took longer than I expected.

[Geoff Pinkerton]

Regarding new recruits on the Normandy. Jacob joined Cerberus sometime after Eden Prime so he's been there a maximum of two years. Ken and Gabby joined after the attack on the Citadel. Joker and Chakwas  wouldn't be there if it weren't for Shepard so they're both recent. That leaves Gardner and Kelly neither of whom seems to have much knowledge of Cerberus beyond it's official propaganda, I'm guessing they're also new although unlike the others it isn't clear how long they have been members. As I said the only long standing Cerberus operative on board appears to be Miranda.

 

Regarding acts of terrorism. Examples are given in the Codex. Jacob uses the word terrorist to describe some of Cerberus' past actions. Ken and Gabby admit to knowing next to nothing about Cerberus other than the Normandy setup, while it's apparent that Gardner and Kelly don't know much either. I would definitely consider their actions in ME1 terrorist. Akuze, Kahoku's missing marines, his subsequent assassination, then there's the matter of torturing kids on Pragia.

Maybe the end does justify the means in some cases but this is exactly how terrorists rationalise their own actions. The preservation and advancement of humanity also sounds like a political agenda to me.

 

On the issue of human supremacy I agree that it has connotations with Nazism and the like and I wouldn't call Cerberus a fascist organisation as such. But although this term is associated with racism I think supremacy is clearly what Cerberus aspires to. They want humanity to be dominant although I'll concede that doesn't mean they want to enslave or exterminate.        

[Kabooooom]

You overlooked Cord-Hislop, OP. That Cerberus front company, which is also the single most influential human aerospace company in the galaxy AND the company that was contracted by the Alliance to construct the SR-1 - is how TIM likely acquired his massive capital and fleet. They are sort of like a 22nd century version of Boeing.

Cerberus hid in plain sight for literally the entire duration of their existence. Yes, they had infiltrated the Alliance to a great degree and they carried out terrorist acts, but it isn't exactly a stretch of the imagination to understand how TIM could acquire the resources he had, in secret, over several decades, while running one of the most influential corporations in the entire galaxy.

[Hello!I'mTheDoctor]

Regarding new recruits on the Normandy. Jacob joined Cerberus sometime after Eden Prime so he's been there a maximum of two years. Ken and Gabby joined after the attack on the Citadel. Joker and Chakwas  wouldn't be there if it weren't for Shepard so they're both recent. That leaves Gardner and Kelly neither of whom seems to have much knowledge of Cerberus beyond it's official propaganda, I'm guessing they're also new although unlike the others it isn't clear how long they have been members. As I said the only long standing Cerberus operative on board appears to be Miranda.

 

 

Still, this can be considered unsubstantiated on your end. But enough about this. It's irrelevant.

 

Regarding acts of terrorism. Examples are given in the Codex. Jacob uses the word terrorist to describe some of Cerberus' past actions. Ken and Gabby admit to knowing next to nothing about Cerberus other than the Normandy setup, while it's apparent that Gardner and Kelly don't know much either. I would definitely consider their actions in ME1 terrorist. Akuze, Kahoku's missing marines, his subsequent assassination, then there's the matter of torturing kids on Pragia.

Maybe the end does justify the means in some cases but this is exactly how terrorists rationalise their own actions. The preservation and advancement of humanity also sounds like a political agenda to me.

 

Beyond one public release of a manifesto, there isn't anything I'd define as a truly terrorist act. A few political assassinations here and there, but public knowledge of Cerberus involvement (which they wanted to keep secret, the exact opposite of the motivation of terrorism) is non-existent. Jacob would be incorrect to use such terminology to be fair. I'm going to take his assessment as unreliable based on my own knowledge. The crew's ignorance to Cerberus operations is a non sequiter to defining them as terrorists: You can't say that because they don't have much information about the group beyond their own cell that Cerberus must equal a terrorist group. And I'm going to be blunt: your assessment of their actions is incorrect. Akuze was designed as a test-bed for the potential weaponization of thresher maws; a scientific endeavor, not an overt or sublime political statement. The missing Marines was a continuation of that platform; once again, no political motivation was declared, only a scientific platform. On Kahoku's assassination; simply put, he was digging too deep and sticking his nose in places it shouldn't have found. It's no surprise that Cerberus had him murdered to preserve the secrecy of their projects; once more, Cerberus is trying to maintain anonymity, not incite political unrest (a standout action of terrorism). And once more, the torturing of children on Pragia had a scientific agenda, not a political one. The goal was to create the most powerful human biotic, and to see if it was a repeatable test. Technically speaking, they succeeded. 

 

And yes, while the preservation and advancement is a political agenda, that does not equate it to terrorism. Cerberus is not engaging in terrorism (an action) to bring forth a political agenda. I've just explained how the actions committed were not terrorism as well.

 

On the issue of human supremacy I agree that it has connotations with Nazism and the like and I wouldn't call Cerberus a fascist organisation as such. But although this term is associated with racism I think supremacy is clearly what Cerberus aspires to. They want humanity to be dominant although I'll concede that doesn't mean they want to enslave or exterminate.        

 

I think they want to see a humanity that is strong and not reliant on or forced to bend-the-knee so to speak with the alien races of the galaxy. They want to make sure that humanity is capable and able to survive in the uncertain and unexplored realm of the galactic civilization, and to survive the coming upheaval and catastrophic event (the Reapers). TIM even urges Saren to make a Turian analogue of his group in the Evolution comics. 

[Geoff Pinkerton]

I'd forgot about Cord-Hislop. I like the point about hiding in plain sight because that's exactly what they did as Cord-Hislop.

I always assumed the Cerberus logo we've seen plastered everywhere to have been shared with the aerospace company but cant remember if this has ever been confirmed officially.

 

Cord-Hislop would be a major part of the Alliance Military Industrial complex so I think using them as a front makes sense as no one would dare challenge them given their links with the military and being such a powerful corporation. Rather than advertising their presence as Cerberus the logo probably deters investigation and creates the impression of official Alliance sanction.

 

I think Dale was onto something earlier with Exo-Geni being a Cerberus front also. I wish the game had have delved into this stuff like the Citadel Coup could have been all about intrigue and corruption instead of just another shooting gallery.   

[justafan]

I never found the switch from ME1 to ME2 Cerberus to be that bad.  In ME1, they clearly had some reach for a rather long time, having been able to experiment with Thresher Maws as far back as Shepard's origin, and having enough men within the Council's best Spectre's top secret research team to steal Rachni samples.  They may get a lot more facilities and personnel in ME2, but it is not beyond reason that they were already that well funded and influential in ME.  As for their status as an alliance black-ops team, Kahoku couldn't comprehend the rabbit hole he stuck his head into, and was quickly killed before he could learn the truth.

 

Sure they are a lot more visible in ME2, but that could also be by design.  With Shepard alive, TIM was clearly out to get some PR points with humanity.  After all, to the average human, if the Savior of the Citadel was going around saving human colonies with a Cerberus crew and vessel while the Alliance did nothing, they can't be all bad right? And the only people who really know a lot about Cerberus are an ex-STG agent, the Queen of Omega, and people contracted by the organization itself or have had contact with it in the years since Shepard died.

 

As for ME3.  Ya they just probably wanted to add diversity to the enemy's roster.

[Hello!I'mTheDoctor]

Terrorism... in ME1 no. Prior to ME1, yes. They earned a reputation in 2070 trying to create human biotics by blowing up starships over human colonies hoping the refined eezo would do the trick. The freighters were mostly human, and belonged to Eildfeld-Ashland Energy, the company that was bankrolling much of the colonial effort. That was where it earned its reputation as a terrorist organization.

 

Those events weren't publicly acknowledged by Cerberus, nor did they make a statement in light of the action. They were trying to maintain anonymity, which is the antithesis of a terrorist action. They had no political statement to make: they were performing an experiment to encourage the growth of biotics in humans.