EDIT: Holy crap...forum formatting went to hell...
So normally I don't like announcing projects and things in advance because I'm godawful when it comes to meeting deadlines, but I figured with a sudden resurgence in "Papa Vakarian" talk, I might as well try to get a general consensus. Brace for tl;dr...
I've been throwing around the idea for a few days, and I'm now finally getting around to writing out a fan-screenplay of sorts in which Shepard and the rest of the Normandy crew find themselves on Palaven in order to get the ship
repaired following the Omega-4 mission. While it seems like a stretch that the Turians would welcome a human commander and her Cerberus crew/ship, there are a few things I've considered:
- If the Paragon route was taken, and Shepard effectively gives TIM the finger at the Collector base, it means that there are likely no funds available from Cerberus (NOTE: This is from a story perspective. I know that you still have money in the post-game). Add to that the fact that Shepard's crew and ship are still affiliated with Cerberus, at least to the uninformed, and the list of those willing to help shrinks dramatically. Some of this was hinted at when you visit the Citadel; despite being a Spectre, and a hero, the Council wants nothing to do with you and Cerberus...even if you no longer work for them.
- The original Normandy SR-1 was co-designed by both Turian and Alliance engineers, and reflects upon both in aesthetics and layout philosophy. The SR-2 was of a similar design, vastly improved upon, albeit in more human ways. While the crew is capable of patch jobs and systems upgrades, large scale repairs still need to be handled at a drydock. For the reasons in the above bullet point, taking the SR-2 back to a Cerberus base for repairs is no longer feasible, which leaves bringing the craft to an Alliance base, a Turian one, or taking the risk of docking at a non-military port.
To further tip the scales in the Turian favor, I needed a driving element. Luckily, the nature of the Citadel Council, and how it reflects our modern-day United Nations, as well as the codex entries related to the Turian hierarchical structure, helped me create a “loophole” of sorts that puts the Normandy on Palaven. I’ll touch a bit more on it later on down the posting.
Now, on to the juicy bits related to our favorite Turian…
Working out the details of the Vakarian household has been a bit challenging, primarily when trying to figure out a timeline of events that shaped both Garrus and his father that fits what we know about Turians, and what we know about Garrus personally. Since there is literally no information about Garrus’ family except for a few spoken lines in ME1, most of what I’ve been trying to do is centered around explaining Garrus’ choice of words; specifically, the fact that he only refers to his father, his father’s attitude towards Spectres, and almost nothing about “my family” or “my mother”. While it might be a stretch of reasoning, whenever I’ve heard someone talk in this manner (by referring only to one parent, rather than “parents”), it generally means that the family unit is divided in some way, or that the animosity is so great between child and parent that the relationship is heavily strained. However, it is in how Garrus mentions his father that makes me think it’s not hatred that separates them, but rather, some sort of event which caused them to both take separate paths. The comments Garrus makes seems to be an attempt to differentiate himself from his father, either out of spite, or because he sees his father as someone unwilling to take action. Calling him a “by the book C-Sec officer” and mentioning his distrust for those with too many freedoms helped me a bit in creating a path of actions.
Because of this, I decided that the best course of action to take when regarding Garrus’ father was to make a character that fit within the guidelines of existing lore, but wouldn’t come across as antagonistic. I wanted to see a character that was a foundation for Garrus, but different in his own right. While doing this, I was also considering whose acting ability would fit the bill for this character, and went back to one of the first comments I had made in the original Garrus thread…but more on that a bit later.
So now comes the laying out of a timeline of events that coincide with what already exists in the Galactic Codex.
Knowing what we know about Turians, mandatory military service starts at age 15, with most soldiers entering the reserve forces around the age of 30. However, while enrollment in the service is mandatory, staying within it is not (note that it is uncommon for a Turian to leave the service until his 30s). Additionally, C-Sec itself has a fairly stringent policy on admissions, despite some evidence to the contrary. According to the codex, a C-Sec applicant must be sponsored by a high ranking councilmember or ambassador. This means that there is some flexibility in regard to the time of Garrus’ exit from the service and his joining of C-Sec, so long as there exists some method for his sponsorship in C-Sec. However, the two elements that are proving to be a challenge to work around are:
- Garrus mentioning that he grew up on Palaven.
- Garrus’ father being a long-time C-Sec officer
Additionally, I’ve been mulling around some other elements that could play into the story, such as:
- Venari Pallin’s rise to Executor status.
- Turian Hierarchy and the Citadel Council.
- The nature of Garrus’ father becoming a “by the book C-Sec officer” and his reasons for the quote “Do things right or don’t do them at all.”
- Garrus’ advocate for his C-Sec candidacy.
At the moment, I think I have a general idea which should coincide with the timeline of events. I’m still working out the details of exact dates, but so far, here’s the general order of things:
- Garrus is born on Palaven.
- Garrus’ father fights in the first contact wars.
- Garrus’ father joins C-Sec at some point before Garrus enters the military. Becomes an investigator.
- Garrus joins the military.
- Garrus’ mother joins C-Sec. Becomes a crisis negotiator.
- Some time passes with relative normalcy.
- Garrus nominated for Spectre training. (Note: the timing for this event isn’t set just yet. I might move it to after the “Incident” occurs once I do a more thorough look at the timeline.)
- “Incident” – This is the event that causes the split between Garrus and his father…and I’m not going to spoil it.
- Garrus’ admission to the Spectre training program is blocked.
- Garrus joins C-Sec.
- Garrus’ father leaves C-Sec and returns to Palaven. They do not speak to each other after parting ways.
- Events of ME1 and ME2.
So that’s the general gist of events that make up the Vakarian timeline before this fan-screenplay takes place. To set the stage for the screenplay, which I’ve tentatively named Homecoming, here are some other details:
- The events of Homecoming take place 3 months after the Omega-4 suicide mission.
- Yes, this story does include a FemShep+Garrus pairing. Yes, the crew knows about it. No, I’m not going to do something pornographic. No chafing.
- Miranda will get a fair amount of “screen time”.
- Joker, Grunt, Kelly, EDI, and even Kasumi will make an appearance.
- There won’t be any combat/gunplay in the screenplay. Most of the focus is on the people featured.
Now, I did mention earlier covering the “loophole” and potential cast, so here’s some “cast announcements (which might give a small hint as to what kind of direction I’m taking
) :
Mark Harmon as
Gelin Vakarian –
A former C-Sec investigator and soldier, known for stern attitude and motto “Do things right, or don’t do them at all.” He is the father of Garrus Vakarian. Following an incident on the Citadel, he retired from his duties and returned to the Turian homeworld of Palaven. Avery Brooks as
Primarch Feyl –
Known for his “radical” views, the outspoken Feyl makes no secret his disdain for the actions taken during the First Contact War, and the relatively impassive behavior of Citadel Council in regards to the Sovereign attack. While his beliefs garner support from both offworlders and his own people, Feyl’s true motivations remain unknown.Hope you guys enjoyed the read. Lemme know what you think!
Also, and this is a minor detail, which origin should Shepard have in this story? The character so far is going to be primarily Paragon in actions and behavior, but I’m torn between giving her a Colonist or Spacer background. I could really go either way, and it affects a few conversations.
tl;dr summary:
I’m writing a fan screenplay. I don't know when I'll have it done. I’ve taken careful consideration of the events. Garrus and his father Gelin (fan-named) will be featured in it. Turian culture will be covered in passing. We meet a Primarch with pro-human views and some ulterior motivations. No combat, but plenty of character.
Modifié par Jytra, 24 février 2010 - 07:31 .
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He'd "respect your decision" and everything, but he'd be crushed, and he probably wouldn't ever let anyone else in for the rest of his life.
)
