205 réponses à ce sujet

[Goth Skunk]

Nitpicking for the sake of nitpicking gets you mocked. The imagination is not bound by the naturally occurring laws found in reality.



For the sake of some realism, certain laws are followed in Mass Effect, but nowhere is it written EXCEPT in the unreasonable demands of nitpicking, basement dwelling mouth breathers that everything must be as real as humanly possible.

[Svest]

Avissel wrote...

Svest wrote...
11) I will agree that the krogan are out of place, and this might be an actual plot hole.  My question is are these krogan wearing masks?  To be honest I don't remember, I just know that many of the krogan you kill in the game are.  If they are wearing masks then its not a problem.

Remember that before you fight any Vorcha you have to fight blue suns.

The thing here is that just because every species CAN catch the plauge, Doesnt mean everybody in the Quarintine zone DOES have the plague. The ones that dont are going about Buisness as usual, trying to sieze an opportunity in the midsts of the chaos.

Krogans being in the zone is not the problem.  Them working with the Vorcha to spread the plague while unprotected is.  Had the krogans been fighting against the vorcha like the Blue Suns were it would not be a problem.  The especially would not have been trying to stop Shepard from deploying the cure in the final room.  But if they wore masks then its a non-issue.

[Computron2000]

This entire thread is just a "Look at me, I'm think i'm smart" thread. Not being able to comprehend the possible thinking of an actor in game does not make a plot hole. Dictating that actions taken by a character must correspond to a criteria set not by the writer but by someone who does not think in depth smacks of inability to think. Particularly found with the Council scenes



Things that are plot holes are obvious. Jacob's loyalty mission tech inconsistencies as mentioned before.



Not a plot hole: Shepard knowing about thermal clips is not impossible, There is a window of 3 months before death, Invention of thermal clips within this window explains this. As long as possibility of such an event happening exists, no plot hole exists.

[valkyrie0]

1. I think the krogan wore masks in Mordin's mission.

2. It's not a sim. Bioware created this game to tell a story, not to simulate the future.

3. No complaining about heat sinks as ammo?

4. If these are plot-holes, then the failure of Bioware to completely detail the quantum mechanics of element zero as it relates to the manipulation of mass is also a plot-hole.

[Madecologist]

Also remember the Krogans have high immune system. They are susceptible to the plague, but what is this suceptiblility? Humans are susceptible to influenza but it causes minor discomfortable symptoms in most humans only. Heck Wrex pretty much explains the possibility of a Krogan surviving spacing (till Shepard point's out humans do not have a redundant nervous system).

As you may recall 1) The Krogan were working with the Vorcha, who willingly were spreading the plague with full knowledge, they might have a temporary defense measure or.. well they are Krogan, slap him a plague or two, and call it a good day. 2) There is no Krogan corpse, nor Krogan patients, we see dying Batarians and Turians but not Krogans. So again lack of immunity does not mean they get crippled by it.

This at worst is a badly explained event, and best, makes a lot of sense. Far from being a plothole. More like, leaving too much to be assumed by the viewer. Which is debatable if it is bad or not. Not everything in a movie or game has to be spoonfed to the audiance.

[mybudgee]

how about the lack of shower scenes with a huge shower right there in the capitain's room??!

[Madecologist]

polyorpheus wrote...

1. I think the krogan wore masks in Mordin's mission.
2. It's not a sim. Bioware created this game to tell a story, not to simulate the future.
3. No complaining about heat sinks as ammo?
4. If these are plot-holes, then the failure of Bioware to completely detail the quantum mechanics of element zero as it relates to the manipulation of mass is also a plot-hole.

Point 4 made me giggle. My friend I spoke about this, and pretty much all sci-fi that is not "hard" will have superscience. You need superscience to have FTL, alien races interacting with each other, and galactic space opera scenes. Because modern science does not permit these things. For superscience to work you need a Plotinium element (dylithium crystals in Star Trek, Element Zero in Mass Effect, Q-40 in B5). Combined with a tech revolution that usually uses said plotinium (Warp, Mass Effect Fields, Hyperspace/Tachyons). The two work together to bend the laws of physics so the settings superscience works.

Again if these explainations are ****** poor and bad, it is still not a plothole, just bad supercience. Plotholes has become the buzzword of people who have grievences with the story or design decisions.

[Snowraptor]

glacier1701 wrote...

A plot hole, or plothole, is a gap or inconsistency in a storyline that goes against the flow of logic established by the story's plot, or constitutes a blatant omission of relevant information regarding the plot. These include such things as unlikely behaviour or actions of characters, illogical or impossible events, events happening for no apparent reason, or statements/events that contradict earlier events in the storyline.

 Defined by boardnfool86 in this thread here. Its a very good definetion. Each plot hole will have a number. It will also include WHERE it occurs, WHAT it is, its TYPE, WHY its a plot hole and finally a NOTE made in which either a reasoned explanation is put as to why a plot hole is not one (if determine so at a later date) OR whether or not its acceptable.

Lets make some other definetions before we go further in this topic. In defining a plot we need some categories for them to be put into. A Category 1 plot hole is a plot hole that, regardless of when it appears ingame, is always a plot hole. A Category 2 plot hole is a plot hole if certain events occur/do not occur by the time that 'plot hole' comes up. So it is not always a plot hole under all circumstances within a playthrough.
Plot holes can be further categorised as to how they are plot holes. A plot hole can be categorised as being MAGIC WAND for example a needed item is 'suddenly' at hand just when you need even though it was never there before and is never there again afterward. Or it can be an OUTSIDE SOURCE plot hole by which I mean its not explained within the game but a logical fan explanation might be made up though not necessarily one the writers believed was the explanation.

At the end of each plot hole a note will be made as to whether the plot hole is acceptable or not. While plot holes should be avoided there are points in which use of a plot hole - the tutorial phase in particular - illustrates game mechanics and allows play of the game. It could be much harder to display use of things without such a plot hole.

The point of this thread is to bring up all the plot holes people have spotted into one topic and to see how many there are according to the players. If you feel something is not a plot hole then a through explanation is needed. Just stating something is not a plot hole is not good enough. Links to dev posts, wiki articles etc. are encouraged to back up claims something is not a plot hole.

And now onto some plot holes:
(1) WHERE: Tutorial phase just after Shepard's awakening
    WHAT: The large number of explodable containers clustered together near the exit to the room you are in.
    TYPE: Category 1, MAGIC WAND
    WHY: No logical reason as to why such a large number of containers should be stored in your room and by a door. Nor any reason as to why they are about to explode.
    NOTE: ACCEPTABLE - used to explain a game mechanic.

(2) WHERE: Meeting up with Wilson and his shooting by Miranda.
    WHAT: Wilson is in a room where he declares he was shot by a mech.
    TYPE: Category 1, MAGIC WAND
    WHY: No evidence of mechs in the room when up to that point it is made clear that mechs would only stop killing someone if they were destroyed before doing so. While this meeting is used to explain a game mechanic it is ignored when Wilson is killed by Miranda where Jacob and Shepard act surprised.
    NOTE: NOT ACCEPTABLE - but just barely in that an important game mechanic is explained. It makes Shepard appear stupid when other actions ingame clearly indicate the opposite and on even less clear cut ingame clues.

(3) WHERE: The shuttle flight away from the Lazarus Project base.
    WHAT: Miranda, Jacob and Shepard are seated in the same passenger compartment while it travels to another Cerberus base.
    TYPE: Explanation found - supplied by TheUnusualSuspect
    WHY: N/A
    NOTE: N/A

(4) WHERE: Outside picnic table near landing on Freedom's Progress.
    WHAT: Remains of meal being eaten outside in a cold climate.
    TYPE: Explanation found - supplied by TheUnusualSuspect
    WHY: N/A
    NOTE: N/A.

(5) WHERE: Meeting Veetor.
    WHAT: The security camera footage showing the Collectors.
    TYPE: Category 1, MAGIC WAND
    WHY: While we do not know much about Freedom's Progress compared to other colonies that have suffered abductions it cannot be assumed that it is any different from those other colonies. So why is there camera footage now and not from any other prior colony abduction?
    NOTE: NOT ACCEPTABLE - and clearly not so. It is a major plot point that is thrown in to advance the plot with no explanation as to why suddenly such a thing now exists in an average colony. Also helps create plot hole #9.

(6) WHERE: Talking to TIM.
    WHAT: No account of background to call TIM's account of Cerberus.
    TYPE: Category 1, MAGIC WAND
    WHY: Emphasises the railroading of Shepard down the one path that BioWare writers want us to travel down by ignoring an important aspect of what makes Shepard Shepard.
    NOTE: NOT ACCEPTABLE - this basically breaks immersion in the character by showing how much lack of control the player has over the character when a few lines of dialog can easily allow a player to feel that they are more in control even if makes no difference in the end.

(7) WHERE: PURGATORY
    WHAT: Being betrayed by the Warden and thus having to fight to leave.
    TYPE: Category 1, MAGIC WAND
    WHY: Nothing in the game up to this point indicates that a bounty is on Shepard's head which can be excused if an explanation is forthcoming at some point. However nothing is said at any point during the rest of the game as to why this action is taken thus leaving it a mystery.
    NOTE: NOT ACCEPTABLE - this comes out of the blue (no pun intended). It appears to be just a plot device to allow some combat and to highlight Jack's abilities without any other justification though it also introduces plot hole #8 by its presence.

(8) WHERE: PURGATORY
    WHAT: Jack's biotic abilities.
    TYPE: Category 1, MAGIC WAND
    WHY: In essence we are shown that Jack can take out 3 YMIR Mechs (perhaps 4 by the wreckage we can see), punch holes through bulkheads and walls and literally lay waste to a high security space station yet her ingame combat abilities never match this in any way, shape or form.
    NOTE: NOT ACCEPTABLE - some licence is allowable within cutscenes but the amount taken here is too extreme. It gives an impression of power to Jack which is impossible in combat at any time. Had plot hole #7 not been there by just allowing Shepard and company to walk out two plot holes could have been easily avoided.

(9) WHERE: Councillor Anderson's office on the Citadel
    WHAT: Gathered evidence such as security camera footage from Freedom's Progress, DNA evidence from the Collector ship, the attack on Horizon, the derelict Reaper or information from Legion convinces the Council that there is a Reaper threat.
    TYPE: Category 2, MAGIC WAND
    WHY: This is a plot hole that gets worse the longer you take to visit Anderson on the Citadel. Quite literally the Council is supposed to be stupid but the evidence you can accumulate is beyond belief in it being able to be ignored. Moreover Shepard only needs to go public with that evidence of incompetence and the political fallout for the Council/Alliance should have anyone denying the truth of the threat running for cover because of the political ****storm that would occur.
    NOTE: NOT ACCEPTABLE - this is pure bad writing at its finest. It is intended to emphasise that Shepard cannot get support from the Council/Alliance but the way this is handled is amateurish beyond belief. Emily Wong would have a field day if you had the option to bring it to her attention.

(10) WHERE: Garrus' Stronghold on Omega
     WHAT: Opening and closing of a door without explanation
     TYPE; Category 1, MAGIC WAND
     WHY: The one room you find Garrus in has one door. This is apparently a very smart door in so far as it opens and closes and locks at the most dramatic moments regardless of whether or not it makes sense. That is it is closed and locked when you come across the infiltration team trying to get in (makes sense) but then is open for the rest of the mission (makes no sense) until the gunship appears when it suddenly closes and locks by itself (makes no sense).
     NOTE: NOT ACCEPTABLE - this is a device to try to inject tension into the combat but could have been avoided by a better level design so that such tricks need not be used.
(11) WHERE: Ventilation area near the fans on Mordin recruit mission.
     WHAT: Some Krogan are the enemies who are trying to stop you putting the cure into the ventalation system when even they are supposedly not immune to the plague in the quarantine area.
     TYPE: Category 1, MAGIC WAND
     WHY: It is explained that the plague affects all races except Vorcha and Humans yet here we have Krogan running around breathing the contaminated air. It invalidates the whole talk with the sick Batarian at the entrance to the area when you try to point out others could be responsible. If they are immune because of having been immunised then that fact plus vorcha should scream Blood Pack. If there are not immune then what the heck are they doing there?
     NOTE: NOT ACCEPTABLE - poor planning for the combat in putting in Krogan. The varied amount of vorcha there were already a challenge without then introducing another enemy that invalidates dialog just prior to that point.
Edited: 3 MAR 2010 to add 2 more items and to close 2 items as solved.

MORE TO COME.

whatever you do dont complain about that shuttle thing before collectors attack you, because you have to play the game right to make it look like you are actually going to do a mission before they attack.

Modifié par Snowraptor, 03 mars 2010 - 07:48 .

[Svest]

mybudgee wrote...

how about the lack of shower scenes with a huge shower right there in the capitain's room??!

There actually is a shower scene.  If Shepard romances Garrus he arrives in her cabin as she's getting out of the shower.

[bbslayer_07]

Most of the of the things on your list really aren't that noticable or something that shouldn't really be considered a plothole.



(2) Are you serious? Not be rude or anything but I find it hard to believe that some people thought he was actually telling the truth, its obvious he just shot himself in the leg so he wouldn't seem like a traitor, that and the fact he had security clearance for the mechs even when he wasn't supposed to, and you can also tell from his logs that someones paying him more than TIM is to kill shepard.



(8) I know why you your listing her biotics as a plothole but its more of a disappointment actually. The first time I went to recruit her and I saw her attack those YMIR mechs I was like "Oh my gosh Jack has the charge ability just like my vanguard!" and to my disappointment she only had pull and shockwave. I wanted to throw her back into Purgatory, cause thats an extremely gross exaggeration.



The only time I really noticed a plothole is the part where shepard and his team are forced to take a shuttle and leave the normandy while the IFF is installed. This comic perfectly illustrates it

http://bleedingcrow....-Hole-154164528

[mybudgee]

I have a pretty good one: garrus & saren both bleed dark blue, right? why does the turian body on korlus (just past the tank-bred krogan) have RED blood all over it??

[mybudgee]

p.s. thanks for the heads up on the garrus romance. had no idea about the garrus shower thing. almost had him on one playthrough, but something went wrong...

[Svest]

mybudgee wrote...

p.s. thanks for the heads up on the garrus romance. had no idea about the garrus shower thing. almost had him on one playthrough, but something went wrong...

Just so there is no confusion, they don't get into the shower together or anything.  The scene just shows Shepard stepping out of the shower as Garrus arrives at her room.

[TheUnusualSuspect]

bbslayer_07 wrote...

The only time I really noticed a plothole is the part where shepard and his team are forced to take a shuttle and leave the normandy while the IFF is installed. This comic perfectly illustrates it
http://bleedingcrow....-Hole-154164528

Except that the Kodiak shuttle can hold 12 people in the main bay, plus 2 more the cockpit.  Says it right there in the information Codex.  I seriously do wonder why people keep claiming that the shuttle can only hold 3 people in direct opposition to the game telling you exactly how many people it can hold.

EDI had asked that all critical team members take a shuttle for their next mission while the IFF is tested, in case something goes wrong.  The shuttle has an eezo core is capable of inter-stellar travel via Mass Relays, as it's been shown to enter FTL speeds in the opening sequence (same type of shuttle used on the Cerberus base), and any ship can use the mass relays.  So basically they had all gotten on the shuttle and were in another star system en-route to their next ground mission at the time that the Collector ship showed up.

Modifié par TheUnusualSuspect, 03 mars 2010 - 08:41 .

[Vaenier]

TheUnusualSuspect wrote...

bbslayer_07 wrote...

The only time I really noticed a plothole is the part where shepard and his team are forced to take a shuttle and leave the normandy while the IFF is installed. This comic perfectly illustrates it
http://bleedingcrow....-Hole-154164528

Except that the Kodiak shuttle can hold 12 people in the main bay, plus 2 more the cockpit.  Says it right there in the information Codex.  I seriously do wonder why people keep claiming that the shuttle can only hold 3 people in direct opposition to the game telling you exactly how many people it can hold.

EDI had asked that all critical team members take a shuttle for their next mission while the IFF is tested, in case something goes wrong.  The shuttle has an eezo core is capable of inter-stellar travel via Mass Relays, as it's been shown to enter FTL speeds in the opening sequence (same type of shuttle used on the Cerberus base), and any ship can use the mass relays.  So basically they had all gotten on the shuttle and were in another star system en-route to their next ground mission at the time that the Collector ship showed up.

But I didnt have a mission. I was going to the Omega 4 relay. Yet they told me to take the shuttle to my destination instead of the ship. But if i could take the shuttle in the omega 4 relay, then i wouldnt need the iff. It makes no sense!!

[TheUnusualSuspect]

Vaenier wrote...

But I didnt have a mission. I was going to the Omega 4 relay. Yet they told me to take the shuttle to my destination instead of the ship. But if i could take the shuttle in the omega 4 relay, then i wouldnt need the iff. It makes no sense!!

Yes, I do agree that the lack of an adequate mission is poor writing in this instance.  Would've been better to have a legitimate explained reason to need to go to shore, such as to pick up some resource at a hub, or visit Liara 'cos she had some plot device she'd uncovered which would assist with the final collector mission.

I still wouldn't call it a plot hole, just a poorly explained reason for what mission they were on.  The player is left to speculate just what mission/reason that is.

Modifié par TheUnusualSuspect, 03 mars 2010 - 09:06 .

[Srau]

True, writting using a cheap tool added to bad timing making a grotesque situation, but deffinitely not a plot hole.

[TheUnusualSuspect]

glacier1701 wrote...

TheUnusualSuspect wrote...
1)  It's not explained, but perhaps these were oxygen tanks, or tanks containing other medical chemicals, just as is often found in hospital emergency rooms.  We don't know what's in the tanks, but they just rebuilt Shepard, so there may be a legitimate reason for any number of volatile chemicals to be in the room in order to complete the process.

Its still a plot hole but one that I can say is acceptable. Its a small detail but then again small details seem to have gone by the board throughout much of ME2.

I think this is where you and I shall respectfully disagree on what the term "plot hole" means.  To my mind, if there's a plausible explanation for why something is there, it's not a plot hole.  We may be missing pertinent information as to the exact reasons for why something is the way it is, but that still does not make it a plot hole.

glacier1701 wrote...

TheUnusualSuspect wrote...
2) Partial agreement, although there are other areas in that room, including a staircase leading down.  Wilson may have shot the mech, which fell down the staircase and out of sight.  Alternately, he was standing in the opposite doorway of the server room, was shot by a mech, closed the door in time (the door where the mechs are on the other side) and crawled back to the position you found him.  His explanation is thereby plausible, but suspicious.

I've gone over the video I have of that area and I dont see a stair. Do not think I have a save close to that part either though I will check later.

I just played that section again to check it out.  I was wrong.  What I thought was a staircase is, in fact, a huge hole leading down a few stories.  There were glass barricades around the hole, but they're broken and sitting at weird angles, which on my first quick glance while running though had me thinking it was a staircase down.  Wilson could have shot the mech that had shot him, and that mech subsequently fell down the multi-story hole.  This means that while Shep may be suspicious of him, there is insufficient evidence to outright claim that he shot himself in the leg and is lying.

glacier1701 wrote...

TheUnusualSuspect wrote...
5) Miranda says that Veetor has reconstructed the data himself.  The collectors may have been inducing an interefence signal, and Veeter was able to counteract that signal for selected cameras through active signal enhancement via some omni-tool mechanism.  The collectors knew how to jam basic Alliance security cams, but weren't really anticipating an intelligent Quarian working to counteract the jamming and retrieve useful images.

This is something I thought could have been an explanation except that other colonies would have blank records from the jamming thus indicating something happened that was definetly unusual. No mention of that is made. Veetor counteracting the jamming presupposes that Veetor had the presence of mind to think of that, deduce what the Collectors were doing and how to counteract it for the proper cameras. Veetor is characterised as being unstable and its highly doubtful that under the strain of the Collector attack he would be able to respond like that especially as that strain with the possibility that his suit was breached actually made him reprogram the mechs to attack ANYONE.

Once again, I think that the difference in defintion of a plot hole here is that unless you have absolute proof that something which occurred is NOT possible, then that makes the scenario plausible.  This is basic logic reasoning.  There are plenty of unexpected things that occur in real life which, without sufficient prior knowledge defies belief, but lack of prior knowledge is not an indication of a plot hole.

glacier1701 wrote...

TheUnusualSuspect wrote...
7) We find out later that the shadow broker was trying to get a hold of Shepard's body.  Liara managed to snaffle it though through subterfuge.  There would still be a VERY large bounty out on Shepard in the black market, and given the Warden's position, he's more likely to know about that than most.

We do not know this. Until there is more information nothing can be really guessed at. After all considering what Liara is doing is it conceivable that the Shadow Broker is still interested when the SB organisation is under attack?
 

You also don't know that this isn't true.  What is definitely known is that there are organisations that are after Shepard, dead or alive.  Whether past or present is irrelevent, the point is that this has been established at some point in the plot (admittedly later by Liara which is still not a plot hole, just lack of immediate knowledge).  Just because we never discovered the Warden's motivations does not invalidate his claim that he could have sold you for a lot of money.  Once again, lack of knowledge of someone's motivations is NOT a plot hole.  If that motivation is never discovered, than at worst it is merely a "loose plot thread", which is still not a plot hole.

Modifié par TheUnusualSuspect, 03 mars 2010 - 09:31 .

[bbfan13]

bbslayer_07 wrote...


The only time I really noticed a plothole is the part where shepard and his team are forced to take a shuttle and leave the normandy while the IFF is installed. This comic perfectly illustrates it
http://bleedingcrow....-Hole-154164528

I can't believe that after reading this entire thread and pointing out how other points are not plot holes, you still consider this as a plot hole.  It isn't.  Is the scene stupid...yes.  Is it forced upon you if you have already completed all the missions...yes (closest to plot hole).  Could Bioware have come up with a better way to get everyone off of the ship...absolutely.  Needless to say I'm not a fan of that part but a weak explanation is still an explanation.

I do have to defend this scene in one way.  The most common complaint about it is that you pile your crew into the shuttle and leave the ship "defenseless" and there is no reason to do that.  In reality, most of your team is pretty useless on the ship.  Half of them simply waste time meditating or sulking in their little rooms.  You can make a legitimate argumate that Garrus and to a lesser degree Tali may add some value being on the ship.  Given the fact that Shepard leaves the ship for everything, no one else serves any purpose in ship to ship battle.  That is the crew's job.  If they aren't capable of defending the ship, what the heck do they do?

To use a military analogy, The US Marines project military power from US Navy ships.  If during a military operation, the Marines hit the ground and the ship sinks because it is bombed or hit with a torpedo, you don't complain because the Marines were not around to defend the ship.  The Navy is pretty capable of defending their own ships.  I look at the team as the Marines and the crew as the Navy.

Here is how I think it could have been done better.  Instead of just piling into the shuttle for your next random mission, have a small forced mission that requires everyone to come along.  There are a thousand ways you can do that.  I know people hate forced missions, but if you are forced onto the shuttle, wouldn't it be more realistic that you are forced to go to a local planet?

[TLK Spires]

in jacob's recruitment mission, you travel to a place where people have been stranded for 10 years. in addition, besides the message sent to jacob, they have had no other outside contact with the universe.



heat clip ejecting was introduced sometime around shepard's initial 'death' 2 years ago.



my question is this: how is it that a group of people who have had no contact with the outside worlds for a decade drop heat clips, a technology introduced 2 years ago, that being within the 10 year time frame of no outside contact, when they are killed??



this is absolute hog wash and balderdash. i most certainly *will not* be buying mass effect 3 so that i may fund a game with such *horrendous* plot holes.

[trigger2kill1]

Darht Jayder wrote...

trigger2kill1 wrote...

Darht Jayder wrote...

MyChemicalBromance wrote...

mhdemiroz wrote...

It's kind of sad that even after writing all of that stuff, judging by your examples, you still have no idea what is or isn't a plot hole.

The OP is a plothole.

Dude,
Instead of throwing insults why not try and educate the OP and the rest of us. Or atleast try and participate intelligently in the conversation.
Anything short of that is simply being an ass.

ok...


A plot hole, or plothole, is a gap or inconsistency in a storyline that goes against the flow of logic established by the story's plot, or constitutes a blatant omission of relevant information regarding the plot. These include such things as unlikely behaviour or actions of characters, illogical or impossible events, events happening for no apparent reason, or statements/events that contradict earlier events in the storyline.

I appreciate the rather concise and complete definition of plothole that you provided.
Ty Mr. Jayder

[mybudgee]

This thread is getting WAY outta hand.

[AurorusBorealus]

Many people now have claimed that they find it absurd that the writers have chosen to have the counsel ignore all the evidence supporting Shepard's claims about the Reapers.

It is the way of things that the powerful are so arrogant in their power they ignore serious threats to their existence.  To use an historical example, Marie Antionette was so out of touch with the poverty of France that she did indeed state that starving, unemployed workers, without the means to purchase bread, should eat cake: even as they were nearing her palace with weapons.

For a more recent example,  the United States' government (along with many other governments) have assumed and continue to assume debts that cannot be repaid: ever.  Federal insolvency is a reality.  Evidence abounds.  No one in power really believes this is reality or does anything meaningful about it.  

That the council refuses to believe Shepard is not a "plot hole."   It is an accurate portrayal of how the powerful have always and will always behave: right up to the point when they are being blended into genetic mush.