105 réponses à ce sujet

[KotorEffect3]

It wouldn't surprise me if this was a cover up by the elite.  Reminds me of the movie 2012.   

[Nohvarr]

So according to OP, there is a Cabal of plutocrats manipulating galactic events for their own ends and they are the ones who engineered the ARK projects to save themselves.....

 

Look Deus Ex: Mankind Divided is coming out later this year, you'll get your conspiracy fix then.

[Malanek]

Tossing like 0.2% of galactic GDP at a project like this would essentially have no effect on fighting the reapers, while still giving this project unfathomly vast resources.

They didn't really spend anything on fighting the reapers before they actually came though. I don't believe this was the intent of the writers during those games.

[Malanek]

Assuming that the ARK departs in the post ME1 timeframe. My own ARKCON headcanon is that the project  was undertaken by a co-operative effort from major Corporations of all species, not military or political entities like the Council. My candidate for the Human ARK would be Eldell Ashland Energy who have decades of experience in the effective colonizing of space

To me, something like this would make a lot more sense.

[MrFob]

To me, something like this would make a lot more sense.

 

But in that case (and if this project really was meant to provide refuge from the reapers), wouldn't one than expect the executives of Eldfell Ashland to be on board?

[The Dystopian Hound]

Maybe it had nothing to do with the reapers. Maybe we just wanted to explore. Maybe it did have to do with the reapers. Can't take everyone. Have to make sure species survive. Telling people's would compromise the entire plan. We don't know yet.

[Malanek]

But in that case (and if this project really was meant to provide refuge from the reapers), wouldn't one than expect the executives of Eldfell Ashland to be on board?

Yeah, without getting into exactly who it is specifically, who says they aren't?

 

I can't really accept that it was a council initiative. If they had faced facts and genuinely believed in the Reapers, the Milky way would have been much more prepared for them. If it was council, Anderson would have known and he clearly didn't. Some rich third party group is believable however.

[MrFob]

Yeah, without getting into exactly who it is specifically, who says they aren't?

 

I can't really accept that it was a council initiative. If they had faced facts and genuinely believed in the Reapers, the Milky way would have been much more prepared for them. If it was council, Anderson would have known and he clearly didn't. Some rich third party group is believable however.

 

Talking about Eldfell Ashland specifically, Jonah Ashland, the boss of the company is definitely still in the Milky Way as we can meet him in ME3's Citadel DLC. Could of course be someone else though.

 

As for the council, I don't know, I can see them (even Anderson) not telling Shepard as s/he was very exposed to the reapers at all times and technically always in danger of being indoctrinated.

Sure, it could be some backroom corporation (and when we start talking about those, Cerberus has to jump to the forefront of course, so please please no) but the fact that almost all MW species seem to be present makes me think it's more likely that it's a wide spread political movement that coordinates this and the most likely candidate there would be the council.

[Sigzy05]

I have a wild theory who build the arks. There is on faction in the ME-Universe which has no economical or financial system so they have basically communism and can throw all resources into one project. They don`t have to feed workers or they´r families. And they know for sure the reapers are coming. And they are, as we learned in ME3, not the organics-slaying monsters as the Quarians described them.

 

The Geth.

 

ps: look at the arks-ships colour-scheme.

 

Makes absolutely no sense. Being before ME3 the geth were not our friends aside from Legion, which was the only geth AI at the time, the others could only function in large enough numbers within their planet and then there were the heretics that had reaper enhancements. And it doesn't explain why they'd help us, they aren't evil but still makes no sense.

[AlleyD]

Yeah, without getting into exactly who it is specifically, who says they aren't?

 

I can't really accept that it was a council initiative. If they had faced facts and genuinely believed in the Reapers, the Milky way would have been much more prepared for them. If it was council, Anderson would have known and he clearly didn't. Some rich third party group is believable however.

You meet the CEO of Eldfell Ashland, Jonah Ashland and his daughter, Aishwarya in the Citadel DLC. He's an old man and she isn't exactly the brightest or the best of humanity.

 

I suggest Eldfell Ashland because they are the  human corporation written in the WIKI of with the attributes necessary for developing and supporting colonies.

 

In 2137, the Ashland Energy Corporation successfully extracted helium-3 from Saturn's atmosphere, beginning a new era of fusion research. On the wave of this success, they merged with Eldfell Construction to vertically integrate the two companies' strengths. Ashland would recover the raw materials for energy production, and Eldfell would build power plants, refineries, and pipelines on nearby worlds to distribute Ashland's products to the consumer. Eldfell-Ashland Energy was born.

As EAE's reach extended, they absorbed companies to create a "cradle-to-grave corporate experience" for their employees. Today, subsidiaries such as Second Star Living recruit colonists to staff EAE facilities, and the education group Excelsior provides job-related education opportunities to provide EAE stations with a qualified incoming workforce. Water, power, food, shipping -- EAE provides them all. If EAE wants to put a colony on a garden world, they are able to do so and keep 90% of services performed completely in-house, creating consumers out of its own employees. Its primary revenue stream, however, continues to come from mining base elements like hydrogen, helium-3, and eezo and trading in their futures.

 

That WIKI entry to me reads like the only human corporation with the capacity to build and recruit a colonization project anything like ARKCON.

[Hadeedak]

I'd feel a bit better if it WAS a backup plan. The one thing that's always annoyed me the most is that our entire ME3 plan is "Shepard, Crucible, ??? Profit" as a galaxy. I hope there were some plans we didn't hear about because we were busy doing Shepard things for the Crucible, because that would be less moronic than "EVERYONE DEPEND ON SHEPARD."

[Reznore57]

I'd feel a bit better if it WAS a backup plan. The one thing that's always annoyed me the most is that our entire ME3 plan is "Shepard, Crucible, ??? Profit" as a galaxy. I hope there were some plans we didn't hear about because we were busy doing Shepard things for the Crucible, because that would be less moronic than "EVERYONE DEPEND ON SHEPARD."

 

I think the most glaring thing would be , if I remember ME3 correctly , it was a pain in the rear to get people to fight the Reaper together .

And then finding out some races were working together just fine to get the hell out of the Milky Way.

[anddill]

Makes absolutely no sense. Being before ME3 the geth were not our friends aside from Legion, which was the only geth AI at the time, the others could only function in large enough numbers within their planet and then there were the heretics that had reaper enhancements. And it doesn't explain why they'd help us, they aren't evil but still makes no sense.

Their nor evil, their not good, just logic. We never had a hint at their real numbers. And they knew for sure the reapers would come, way before Shep. So they reached the consensus that this galaxy would go down the drain. No organic even grasped the enormous dimension of the coming tread.

So they build the ark-ships hidden in their space. No council, no Shep, and no reaper got a hint of the project. 

The Geth are the only faction that could hide such a gigantic project

The Geth are the only faction that had enough time to get this done

The Geth are the only faction that is free from economic boundary's

The Geth are the only faction that had an early contact with reaper tech.

The Geth are the only faction that looses nothing by loading the arcs with all species from the milky way

 

I think the picture of an AI inevitably going berserk against its creators is BS. It would rule an empty, boring world. Maybe the Geth see organics as some kind of substrate or catalyst to grow on and learn. New experiences and knowledge come from interaction and different viewing angles. So it would be pretty stupid for advanced AIs to dust off alone.

[Sigzy05]

Their nor evil, their not good, just logic. We never had a hint at their real numbers. And they knew for sure the reapers would come, way before Shep. So they reached the consensus that this galaxy would go down the drain. No organic even grasped the enormous dimension of the coming tread.

So they build the ark-ships hidden in their space. No council, no Shep, and no reaper got a hint of the project. 

The Geth are the only faction that could hide such a gigantic project

The Geth are the only faction that had enough time to get this done

The Geth are the only faction that is free from economic boundary's

The Geth are the only faction that had an early contact with reaper tech.

The Geth are the only faction that looses nothing by loading the arcs with all species from the milky way

 

I think the picture of an AI inevitably going berserk against its creators is BS. It would rule an empty, boring world. Maybe the Geth see organics as some kind of substrate or catalyst to grow on and learn. New experiences and knowledge come from interaction and different viewing angles. So it would be pretty stupid for advanced AIs to dust off alone.

 

The reapers needed organics here for harvesting, meaning that the heretics wouldn't let them escape. Geth were all connected until they'd agree to split because of their beliefs still the heretics could easily enter the other geth's systems especially because they had reaper enhancements that made each geth each an individual, so the project would be compromised big time in less than 5 minutes. And the fact that geth would decided to built arks out of the blue because who knows, makes no sense, not to mention the geth that did in fact had reaper tech wouldn't share it with the others. And wouldn't explain why the other races would accept arks built by the geth.

 

And before ME3 many races/organizations could have easily do all the things that you are saying geth were the only ones that could make it. Especially in secrecy in some colony. Especially Cerberus.

[Malanek]

Talking about Eldfell Ashland specifically, Jonah Ashland, the boss of the company is definitely still in the Milky Way as we can meet him in ME3's Citadel DLC. Could of course be someone else though.

 

As for the council, I don't know, I can see them (even Anderson) not telling Shepard as s/he was very exposed to the reapers at all times and technically always in danger of being indoctrinated.

Sure, it could be some backroom corporation (and when we start talking about those, Cerberus has to jump to the forefront of course, so please please no) but the fact that almost all MW species seem to be present makes me think it's more likely that it's a wide spread political movement that coordinates this and the most likely candidate there would be the council.

Just to be clear, the bit I agreed with was that it was a private rather than public group, outside the council. I wasn't claiming I knew who this was, it would probably be new character. The ME milky way galaxy is a big place with lots of rich people. As I have said before multiple times, I am 100% certain that the writers during ME2 did not have it planned that the council was behind or had any knowledge of a plan to flee the reapers by traveling to another galaxy. Their overall response simply wouldn't make sense, therefore, assuming no retcon, it had to be a private group.

[shepskisaac]

Since it was confirmed the Ark leaves before Reaper invasion, it's getting clear IMO that Bioware will set up the Ark project to be as "civilian", driven by scientific research and inconsequential to Shepard and his anti-Reaper mission throughout ME1-3 as possible. Otherwise, it begs the standard issue question of prequels/interquels as to "why wasn't it ever mentioned and significant?". While military assistance will obviously be involved, I think they will write the Ark initiative with a genuine intention of surveying other galaxies rather than any less or more secret escape plan B from the Reapers.

[anddill]

The reapers needed organics here for harvesting, meaning that the heretics wouldn't let them escape. Geth were all connected until they'd agree to split because of their beliefs still the heretics could easily enter the other geth's systems especially because they had reaper enhancements, so the project would be compromised big time in less than 5 minutes. And the fact that geth would decided to built arks out of the blue because who knows, makes no sense, not to mention the geth that did in fact had reaper tech wouldn't share it with the others. And wouldn't explain why the other races would accept arks built by the geth.

 

And before ME3 many races could have easily do all the things that you are saying geth were the only ones that could make it. Especially in secrecy in some colony.

They got the enhancements later in ME3, at the time of the split they were still equal. The non-heretics had just to send some mobile platforms with replicating tech and mining equipment to some uncharted systems. They don´t have to breed, they can just multiply their numbers as fast as the raw materials can get extracted.

 

And for accepting the arks: Take it or die. What would you do? 

And here is some interesting stuff to read about the "many races could have easily do all the things" :

 

http://www.shamusyou...edtale/?p=30943

[MeanMachine]

I like it OP. Good stuff to read too, plausible.

[ZipZap2000]

They didn't really spend anything on fighting the reapers before they actually came though. I don't believe this was the intent of the writers during those games.

Of course not.

The original plan had the council indoctrinated I believe. (The council chambers IN ME1 are actually shaped like a Reaper when viewed from above.)


But post ME3 endings it makes sense to change that in order to continue the franchise.


Lets say looking back, the clues appear to be there all along.

We need to ask does it fit? Yes.

Does it explain previously existing plot holes? Yes. (Why nobody helped Shepard)

Does it account for everything else thats happened without breaking the original story? Yes.

Is the writers original intent made clear and indisputable? No.

It makes sense to say the council were always doing this not least because it closes more plot holes than it opens.

[MrFob]

Just to be clear, the bit I agreed with was that it was a private rather than public group, outside the council. I wasn't claiming I knew who this was, it would probably be new character. The ME milky way galaxy is a big place with lots of rich people. As I have said before multiple times, I am 100% certain that the writers during ME2 did not have it planned that the council was behind or had any knowledge of a plan to flee the reapers by traveling to another galaxy. Their overall response simply wouldn't make sense, therefore, assuming no retcon, it had to be a private group.

Well, this is Mass Effect, I assume a retcon.

[DarthLaxian]

I think a reaper invasion is a great reason to attempt preservation Plan B, and I'm not sure why you think the arks are lifeboats for the elites. The council for example stayed on the citadel during the entire war.

 

Hm...aren't they only representatives (sure: they have some power, but for important decisions (like say changing the Treaty of Farixen!) I'd say they have to "phone" home!)...also politicians might be part of the elite (at least they think they are!), but scientists, company leaders etc. are more important IMHO (more so in a new galaxy where you need both and not squabbling politicians!)

[Drone223]

Well, this is Mass Effect, I assume a retcon.

A poorly implemented retcon to be more precise.

[laudable11]

What did I miss? Is it really true the "Arks" left before ME2?

[Hanako Ikezawa]

What did I miss? Is it really true the "Arks" left before ME2?

No, when we leave has not been explicitly confirmed, though Mac Walters pretty much told us that we are leaving before the Mass Effect 3 endings. 

[Guanxii]

What did I miss? Is it really true the "Arks" left before ME2?

 

Merely speculation at this point. The fleets orbiting what appears to be earth in peacetime would lead you to believe it was post ME3 but that might be misdirection... those images could well pre-date the reaper invasion. The two years between ME1 & 2 in the immediate aftermath would give the council races enough time to plan and construct and orchestrate the exodus of the galaxy with our 'essential personnel' and most advanced technology' ahead of the reaper invasion. If the ark was built pre-reaper invasion during the cover-up it would need a valid cover story - we may have seen some of this 'propaganda' featured in the marketing so far.