30 Days of Mass Effect: Days 5, 6 & 7
May. 4th, 2013 02:51 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
beccatoriaOkay, I'm apparently grouping these answers...
Favourite Companion.
Okay, like everyone, I suck at favourites and have too many, but given the fact I get to pick two more favourites in a minute, modified by gender, I'm going to pick the technically gender-neutral Legion.
So hell, why not start with a note about his gender. I'm gonna be using "he" the way I use "she" for EDI based on best knowledge of what appears to be personal preference and presentation. That said, I always got the impression that EDI's identification as female was something that, at some point, she made a choice to embrace (at least for social and interpersonal reasons) even after considering the fact that she ended up being given a female voice and provided with a female body due to circumstances beyond her control; she modified other things about her behaviour and appearance and presentation but never chose to modify this even though she was actively seeking to develop her own identity. Whereas with Legion, while I do not think the male voice is sheer coincidence, I also imagine it was a decision made due to some practical calculation about others' reactions. I don't think he had any personal preference, nor was he attempting to form an identity as adapted to organic society as EDI was. In short, I think EDI integrated "female" into her identity in a way Legion never integrated "male" into his, even though he did make a decision to present as male to others.
OH ROBOTS THIS IS WHY I LOVE YOU. (Man, how sucky is it that we didn't get to have more Legion and EDI squad banter?)
But right, back to Legion. I love him because he's interesting. I'm not sure how to explain it better than that. I love him because he presents an alternative to the Robot Wanting to be a Real Boy. Because Legion does want to be a Real Boy but doesn't think that means being anything like an Organic Boy.
I love him because he provides a fascinating perspective on the Geth, and their story of AI is one of the more interesting hard scifi elements of the franchise. Because there's something fantastic about the commonality of behaving more desperately when you are afraid and wounded, and the practical breakdown of Geth Networked Intelligence meaning that as more Geth die, they literally become less intelligent and less capable of complex tactics.
You know - you all know - I love these games, but one thing I was always a little sad about was the way the Reaper upgrades caused all the gestalt Geth to actualise independent personalities, but it was unclear to what degree they were still gestalt entities. Because I thought that was fascinating and a contrast to EDI - an individual - and the Reapers - individuals composed of the memories of many, but subjugated to an individual will nonetheless.
I thought the goal of creating a species identity as - I suppose - an "individual" - the quest of the Dyson Sphere, to network every Geth into a single consciousness, was perhaps a more interesting goal than networking fewer systems into sapient, independent entities.
But I digress. LEGION. I love that EDI named him.
Favourite Male Companion.
Mordin! Man I love that dude. He's just so much fun to listen to and gets so many great lines, but he's also the lynchpin of one of the most difficult moral choices in the game, and one of the most heartbreaking sequences.
I probably love the Quarian/Geth plotline more on a personal level, but I think the Genophage plotline is a real triumph in terms of genuinely and enormously changing the implications of what you do depending on your previous choices.
I love how Mordin was allowed to defend the Genophage. Not to pretend it's not horrifying, but to provide a genuine, rational argument for its necessity. And I'm not sure he's wrong either? Like, with Eve dead, with Wreav in charge, with no resources on Tuchanka and everything short of an open declaration of conquest on Wreav's part - to whom are you being kinder by curing the plague? The Salarians uplifted the Krogan without also amending their reproductive patterns to adapt to the fact that most of their young would no longer die due to the harsh conditions. Without self-control, the only way to adapt to that fact is either to confine them to a space incapable of sustaining their increasing numbers, effectively condemning them to the fate of the Drell as their world died and they slaughtered each other over crumbs of food and mouthfuls of water, or to accept that they will wage bloody conquest, and slaughter all other nations in order to fulfil their exponentially increasing need for resources; even without Wreav's warmongering, a population explosion as predicted by EDI would leave Krogan leaders with little choice.
The assumption that the Krogan are incapable of self-control, of considering the structure of their own civilisation, is paternalistic and cruel. At what point do Wreav's threats become something you act upon? In what way? What's the price of the idea of self-determination?
Science fiction is a beautiful and difficult thing because it works in metaphors, but the metaphors never quite fit. No culture or creature on Earth is entirely analogous to the Krogan. We have no robust model for an ethical response.
I think Mordin did an incredible job of presenting one - whether we agreed with him or not. Perhaps especially at the end, where he only almost always changes his mind. That feels consistent in a way that simply having him recant a lifetime of work never would.
Honorable Mention: Thane. A fantastic character with a beautiful storyline.
Favourite Female Companion.
Tali! TALI MY DARLING. I love the whole Geth/Quarian subplot, so that's a bonus, but also I just love Tali in all her dorky, technically competent glory. I love that she's uncertain but determined, that she looks to Shepard for guidance but is brave. I love that even if you never get to romance her, you get to make your home her home - I love that she uses your ship's name as hers, which says family. I love the versatility of her character. I've never played through it, but I can imagine she makes a fantastic romance option because you do swoop in outta nowhere to save her. The first time I played it, though, I wanted to wholesale adopt her, and the second time, as later Engineer, with a different background and attitude, she was my bro in like, all things, my best friend forever, my sister, my partner in crime.
I feel bad for not saying more. But I suppose the reasons I love Tali are simple. I love her because I think she's wonderful.
Honourable Mention: Liara. I actually didn't love her in the first game - I liked her, but it wasn't until the second game that I started really paying attention. I know the exact moment. Kaidan wouldn't listen on Virmire, he left, angry. Liara just accepted you without any hesitation, and I wrote of her mad hate-on for the Shadow Broker as awkward game-writing. And then that wasn't the reason. And the absolutely blinding, singular, focused rage she had towards him for making her let him use her, and worse, use you, for having forced her to do something to save you that she knew you'd hate, yeah. That kid grew up fascinating.
And now I've written almost as much about my runner-up as my first choice, so let's end here! ;)
Favourite Companion.
Okay, like everyone, I suck at favourites and have too many, but given the fact I get to pick two more favourites in a minute, modified by gender, I'm going to pick the technically gender-neutral Legion.
So hell, why not start with a note about his gender. I'm gonna be using "he" the way I use "she" for EDI based on best knowledge of what appears to be personal preference and presentation. That said, I always got the impression that EDI's identification as female was something that, at some point, she made a choice to embrace (at least for social and interpersonal reasons) even after considering the fact that she ended up being given a female voice and provided with a female body due to circumstances beyond her control; she modified other things about her behaviour and appearance and presentation but never chose to modify this even though she was actively seeking to develop her own identity. Whereas with Legion, while I do not think the male voice is sheer coincidence, I also imagine it was a decision made due to some practical calculation about others' reactions. I don't think he had any personal preference, nor was he attempting to form an identity as adapted to organic society as EDI was. In short, I think EDI integrated "female" into her identity in a way Legion never integrated "male" into his, even though he did make a decision to present as male to others.
OH ROBOTS THIS IS WHY I LOVE YOU. (Man, how sucky is it that we didn't get to have more Legion and EDI squad banter?)
But right, back to Legion. I love him because he's interesting. I'm not sure how to explain it better than that. I love him because he presents an alternative to the Robot Wanting to be a Real Boy. Because Legion does want to be a Real Boy but doesn't think that means being anything like an Organic Boy.
I love him because he provides a fascinating perspective on the Geth, and their story of AI is one of the more interesting hard scifi elements of the franchise. Because there's something fantastic about the commonality of behaving more desperately when you are afraid and wounded, and the practical breakdown of Geth Networked Intelligence meaning that as more Geth die, they literally become less intelligent and less capable of complex tactics.
You know - you all know - I love these games, but one thing I was always a little sad about was the way the Reaper upgrades caused all the gestalt Geth to actualise independent personalities, but it was unclear to what degree they were still gestalt entities. Because I thought that was fascinating and a contrast to EDI - an individual - and the Reapers - individuals composed of the memories of many, but subjugated to an individual will nonetheless.
I thought the goal of creating a species identity as - I suppose - an "individual" - the quest of the Dyson Sphere, to network every Geth into a single consciousness, was perhaps a more interesting goal than networking fewer systems into sapient, independent entities.
But I digress. LEGION. I love that EDI named him.
Favourite Male Companion.
Mordin! Man I love that dude. He's just so much fun to listen to and gets so many great lines, but he's also the lynchpin of one of the most difficult moral choices in the game, and one of the most heartbreaking sequences.
I probably love the Quarian/Geth plotline more on a personal level, but I think the Genophage plotline is a real triumph in terms of genuinely and enormously changing the implications of what you do depending on your previous choices.
I love how Mordin was allowed to defend the Genophage. Not to pretend it's not horrifying, but to provide a genuine, rational argument for its necessity. And I'm not sure he's wrong either? Like, with Eve dead, with Wreav in charge, with no resources on Tuchanka and everything short of an open declaration of conquest on Wreav's part - to whom are you being kinder by curing the plague? The Salarians uplifted the Krogan without also amending their reproductive patterns to adapt to the fact that most of their young would no longer die due to the harsh conditions. Without self-control, the only way to adapt to that fact is either to confine them to a space incapable of sustaining their increasing numbers, effectively condemning them to the fate of the Drell as their world died and they slaughtered each other over crumbs of food and mouthfuls of water, or to accept that they will wage bloody conquest, and slaughter all other nations in order to fulfil their exponentially increasing need for resources; even without Wreav's warmongering, a population explosion as predicted by EDI would leave Krogan leaders with little choice.
The assumption that the Krogan are incapable of self-control, of considering the structure of their own civilisation, is paternalistic and cruel. At what point do Wreav's threats become something you act upon? In what way? What's the price of the idea of self-determination?
Science fiction is a beautiful and difficult thing because it works in metaphors, but the metaphors never quite fit. No culture or creature on Earth is entirely analogous to the Krogan. We have no robust model for an ethical response.
I think Mordin did an incredible job of presenting one - whether we agreed with him or not. Perhaps especially at the end, where he only almost always changes his mind. That feels consistent in a way that simply having him recant a lifetime of work never would.
Honorable Mention: Thane. A fantastic character with a beautiful storyline.
Favourite Female Companion.
Tali! TALI MY DARLING. I love the whole Geth/Quarian subplot, so that's a bonus, but also I just love Tali in all her dorky, technically competent glory. I love that she's uncertain but determined, that she looks to Shepard for guidance but is brave. I love that even if you never get to romance her, you get to make your home her home - I love that she uses your ship's name as hers, which says family. I love the versatility of her character. I've never played through it, but I can imagine she makes a fantastic romance option because you do swoop in outta nowhere to save her. The first time I played it, though, I wanted to wholesale adopt her, and the second time, as later Engineer, with a different background and attitude, she was my bro in like, all things, my best friend forever, my sister, my partner in crime.
I feel bad for not saying more. But I suppose the reasons I love Tali are simple. I love her because I think she's wonderful.
Honourable Mention: Liara. I actually didn't love her in the first game - I liked her, but it wasn't until the second game that I started really paying attention. I know the exact moment. Kaidan wouldn't listen on Virmire, he left, angry. Liara just accepted you without any hesitation, and I wrote of her mad hate-on for the Shadow Broker as awkward game-writing. And then that wasn't the reason. And the absolutely blinding, singular, focused rage she had towards him for making her let him use her, and worse, use you, for having forced her to do something to save you that she knew you'd hate, yeah. That kid grew up fascinating.
And now I've written almost as much about my runner-up as my first choice, so let's end here! ;)
