Choosing an Ending for Andromeda Canon

What synthesis means? In the words of the Reaper AI:

"Organics will be perfected by integrating fully with synthetic technology."

So, "Embrace perfection." That's what it means. From what the Reaper AI tells us, there's no hybridization. Nothing about synthetics changes. Only organics are "perfected". The way I see it, organics will be 'reaperized'. Pretty much like the Protheans became the Collectors. In Mordin's words:

"No glands, replaced by tech. No digestive system, replaced by tech. No soul, replaced by tech. Whatever they were, gone forever."

Yeah, that is what people somehow assume, that both are changed and become partially the other. However, the Reaper AI actually says nothing to support this. If you listen to what he actually says, he says organics will be changed, so synthetics will understand them better and vice versa. Forget the green lights, that's just symbolism.

So again, what he says is that organics will be changed, nothing else. "Organics will be perfected by integrating fully with synthetic technology. I don't see how that's different from Collectors, Banshees, Cannibals, Marauders, Husks, or hell, even the Human Reaper.

EDIT: Actually yeah, Reapers are in fact organics that have integrated fully with synthetic technology. Think about that.

I think Refusal is an unfitting ending for any Shepard. Shepard has always been the one to make the hard calls. Time and time again. And then when (s)he has a chance to end it all forever, (s)he doesn't. This Shepard sacrifices an entire cycle (and who knows how many more to come) simply because (s)he does not want to sacrifice EDI and the Geth (both of whom have said that they would gladly risk non-functionality if it meant stopping the Reapers). A refusal Shepard, to me, is like a Shepard who's lost his/her resolve.

I think Anderson explains it best: "A good leader is someone who values the life of his men over the success of the mission, but understands that sometimes, the cost of failing a mission is higher than the cost of losing those men."

I simply cannot sympathize with a refusing Shepard. I do understand your question is more about what state you want to leave the galaxy in for Andromeda though. It's hard to say, but I guess it doesn't really matter as we won't know what happened. It matters in your head, I guess.

I guess I cheated. Installed the MEHEM mod and that became my canon ending.

Only played one SP all the way through without MEHEM ... my very first run, which I completed within days of game release ... selected Red.

Played MP only for a long time after that ... did a second run of my first play to get the Level X weapon achievement, but did that with MEHEM.

Over time, imported my ME2 characters to complete SP runs in ME3 ... but all with MEHEM.

Heh, that's weird. With my forum theme I can only see a big white empty space. I guess you selected a white font. I can only read that when I select the text, haha.

I never could get behind the refuse option. Shepard is put in the position to choose the fate of everyone, like it or not. Refuse seems like it's a "you can't make me" option and it isn't about Shepard's need to stay true to him/herself anymore. Fate of the galaxy. In real life we have to choose the lesser evil once in a while. A protest vote makes you feel good but it lets other people make the choice.

Yehhhh, that's the part i try to ignore in my canon. The Husks, Reapers, … changing over, i can see. The insta-cyborgization, not so much. There's not much of an explanation of it and, literally, doesn't make much sense. I mean, you can make a human completely-synthetic but then you get a Husk or General Grievous. And even if this _was_ the case, making a Husk is a process that was anything but instant. In the Synthesis slideshows, i see it as a future-progression, not something that happens right away.

If you cheated so did I.

For me it's MEHEM or nothing.

SO BE IT!!!!

Well, I finally finished this DEFINITELY MY LAST RUN NO MATTER WHAT FOR A WHILE AT LEAST™ playthrough and on the brazen assumption that anyone might be curious, I chose Control. Which is a first for me.

Throughout, I kept thinking I would end up back at Destroy just like I always do. Especially when it's noted by Vendetta on Thessia that what prevented the Protheans from activating the Crucible was a divide between those who believed it should be used to destroy the reapers and those who believed it should be used to control them and that the control camp was eventually revealed to be indoctrinated. And then of course, in the current cycle we have the Illusive Man who is confirmed as Indoctrinated both by Maya Brooks and of course his final scenes on the Citadel. Now, I don't buy into the theory that choosing Control leaves you Indoctrinated; if Bioware intended that, I think it would be crystal clear and it's also contradicted by the Catalyst itself who says that the The Illusive Man could never choose Control because they already controlled him. Although now that I'm typing it, maybe that means it does Indoctrinate you and the reason TIM couldn't use it was because he was already Indoctrinated... oh well, fuck it.

Dismissing Synthesis entirely (because honestly, while it sort of solves the problem of synthetics vs organics, it's murky on how, exactly... and those synthetics might just go on to build ubersynethetics which eventually rise up and destroy them, not to mention while everyone is now a biotech hybrid, it certainly doesn't prevent all conflict as there's still plenty of differences for people to go to war over), Control seemed like the option for my Shepard because Destroy doesn't really solve the problem it just resets the clock.

Destroy leaves the galaxy stranded without Mass Relays for a while, and with the Geth gone it creates a void where it's almost certain someone is going to start trying to build new AI soon. Even if not soon, they will eventually, it's inevitable. Assuming they live long enough with an unchecked Krogan population blanketing the galaxy.

So Control seemed like the only option. Take the power, assume the mantle of God, and use the Reapers to enforce peace. Keep the Krogan at bay either by quarantine or intimidation, destroy any other AI systems that get out of hand, encourage peace and prosperity by bringing forth the knowledge of all past cycles, perhaps even achieving something not unlike Synthesis. Otherwise, while you're solving the problem you set out to solve, you're leaving the galaxy in a dangerously fragile state. Sure, that's life, but... my Shepard couldn't resist. After all, he'd been solving problems and protecting everyone for the last 3 years and the whole galaxy would be dead if not for him... if that doesn't qualify him, what does?

Although I fully expect that after a few million years my Shepard will grow tired of fixing and solving everyone's problems at last and probably lose it and go murderous and then have to be put down... assuming the galaxy has what it takes.

It doesn't matter. That's the point. If it mattered, the whole purpose of going to Andromeda would be defeated.

Also it literally doesn't matter since the colonists are implied to leave before the RGB happens. So you can pick whatever.

If you're curious about control (and because people are still going "it's not shepard" or "it'll start reaping lololol") check out this thread.