Unpopular opinions

Miranda was also aware of Jack and her past connection to Cerberus and what it did to her. And honestly with that knowledge in mind TIM putting her in a possible position to be killed if Shepard fucks up doesn't' have the same weight that it should be some massive secret resentment.  Maybe if there was a few scenes that showed TIM thought and treated Miranda like a daughter. Being the father figure she never got to have.  Maybe some gooy line about how he would never put her in danger at all and that he loves her.

Then the sending them in blind to collector ship might have more story relevance. But without that it is a person who is well acquainted with TIM and Cerberus's some what apathetic view of the value of it's follower's lives as long as it complete their goal.  Who out of no were gets upset that the same apathetic view gets applied to her.

No my friend there are two people who deserve to be there. EDI who was created and then forcibly restrained to do TIM's bidding on the Normandy and Jack who was taken as a child and tormented and experimented on in the name of finding a way to increase the biotic capability of humanity.

Miranda is just a cerberus cheerleader who is aware of their total lack of morals and care about life who is suddenly upset that it was applied to her. And only after it personally effected her did she quit.  Her character arc starts with rescuing her sister in ME 2. And ends when she confronts her father in ME 3. The father who is so bat shit crazy I was expecting any moment to find out he planed to have sex with Oriana to sire an heir that in his eyes would be perfect. Since it was in a way anyways a combination of himself and himself thus creating the perfect heir.

Very reminiscent of Tatsuoki Furumizu's plan from the Witchblade Anime.

Cherry pop tarts are delicious.

I wouldn't have a problem if Jack and Miranda were squadmates helping Shepard on Cronos. If, for whatever reason, both or even one isn't in ME3, then the ME3 squadmates could fill in.

In regards to Miranda and Cronos, there are video logs where TIM discusses with some doctors/scientists Shepard condition after the Normandy was destroyed and Shep's body recovered, and how "Lawson'll get it done" etc.

Basically, without Lawson there would be no Shepard, no ME2. Miranda bringing Shepard back to life, her intention of planting a control chip in him, the implications regarding her desire to have Shep be a puppet, are all reasons why Miranda is a better candidate to go to Cronos than Jack.

Jacks issues with Cerberus ended when she blew up the facility at Pragia. She had matured by then. She had her Grissom Academy students to care for and instruct in the war. It would have been ludicrous for Jack to up and abandon them to just accompany Shep to Cronos to basically rage against Cerberus again, rewinding her improved character development to back when she was a tortured young woman harbouring an insane amount of rage against her torturers. Sure she was angry still, and held no warm feelings for TIM or Cerberus, but she had moved on. Her going to Cronos would have negated her role at Grissom and her character development.

Miranda being present, and watching with Shep the discoveries in the video logs could revisit a previous conversation the two have on the Citadel regarding the control chip. Miranda face off and resolve things with TIM. And finally, a chance to get back at Kai Leng for besting her at Horizon.

Miranda has every reason for being at Cronos. Jack has none. Miranda has more than her daddy issues. Unfortunately ME3 chose not to explore the other parts of Miranda's character and relationships with Shep and TIM, which could have been resolved if she went to Cronos.

That's what my femshep did, she doesn't take kindly to xenos pointing arms at her.

Why?

If the Grissom mission is completed, she can join Shepard for Cronos. If the mission is skipped, and she did survive ME2, it plays out the same. The player hears her voice on the audio and then she's killed as a phantom
Because ME3 is the third game in the trilogy and is the best place to start playing.

But Mike, if the sexbot didn't happen, Jack wouldn't have the line where she called former EDI as a sex toy.

I think EDI is pretty useful for the story, seeing that part of the team wanted to lure you to the idea of Synthesis. Her more human behavior and "kid sister" role drops people's guard more than Legion ever did. And provokes more sympathy than the Catalyst, with his faulty hologram as the kid from Earth. Or EDI in her former Normandy form. She's more successful than what any AI is trying to do -- make you believe they have a "soul".


Not that I believe she has a "soul" - but I think the challenge needs to exist. It shouldn't be so simple to discard AI....just for gameplay reasons alone.

It's not so much "human" as just the "soul" part... they want to be acknowledged apparently.

It's the same thing as Roy Batty in Blade Runner, forcing people (violently) to try to accept him as a "person".

It's not about humans. That's a shorthand way of expressing a more abstract gosal. It's about AI getting so smart that they think they have "rights" and "personhood".

This is everywhere in sci-fi. I don't think Mass Effect is a great expression of it, but it's a common theme. You know this.

Yea that is kind of my point Miranda supported Cerberus at long as it didn't inconvenience her. When it finally inconvenienced her she changed sides. Kind of like a person who is really anti gun control. Passing off all the shootings and known problems as just gangster thugs causing the problem. Then the second she is shot or shot at by someone who clearly isn't just a gangster thug she spins on a dime so fast you can hear the crack as her hair accelerates beyond the speed of sound. And becomes super gun control.

TIM and Miranda always acted like subordinate and boss and nothing more. Without any sort of emotional bond between them existing his actions and her subsequent change of heart have nothing beyond a subordinate who fooled themselves into thinking they mattered more then they really did.

Tell me have you watched or kept up with the latest version of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles?



Now in regards to Miranda and TIM/Cerberus she doesn't have 1/1,000 that sort of motivation. Jacob has better motivation because he was clearly not in favor of everything TIM and by extension Cerberus did.  And he was very outright to TIM about that. But he worked with them out of a sense of obligation to humanity as a whole because he saw Cerberus as the only way to get things done that the Alliance was to slow to act on or unwilling to do because it might look bad to the rest of the galaxy. So Cerberus finally going beyond the limit he could accept he helps Shepard destroy it.

Cerberus was the empire as far back as ME 1. EDI explains in ME 2 either before or post shackles being removed that Cerberus is split into several cells that operate independently answering only to TIM who over sees them. Miranda was in charge of the Lazarus Cell which was tasked with reviving Shepard. No other cell communicates or even knows who is in it. Granted how Cerberus is displayed in ME 1 is more world building status to create a rouge black ops group. But even that is explained that the cell in charge of rachnii research and weaponize simply messed up.  Particularly since in ME 2 Oriana was about 19 years old. Which means she would have had to have been taken by Miranda and taken to Cerberus when she was around the ages of 3-5 give or take to have the normal life Miranda wanted her to have away from their father.

Cerberus's effect on Jack's life is what gives her the reason out of all to be there when it is all destroyed. Cerberus destroyed her life and ripped her from her home. Watching and being there to destroy it is more closer then a cheerleader who was mildly inconvenienced by the group.


Miranda's story and what make her an interesting character is all about her father, his actions and her attempt to spare her sister the problems she had to deal with and allow her to grow up a normal life. From her worry that she didn't actually earn all she has accomplished because she was genetically engineered to be perfect. Including increased intelligence, powerful biotics, etc. Her willingness to keep her sister safe and free from what she had to deal with growing up. Letting her be a person rather then an pawn in their father's plans. The sheer anger when Niket seems to betray her. The one person she felt in the whole galaxy she could trust.  Her complete willingness to put her own life on the line to ensure Oriana remains safe and happy even if she never gets to share in that happiness.  Even when she goes against Cerberus she still devotes her time to protecting her sister the one thing in the world she would give her life for to protect her from their father.  All of this culminating with her sneaking into Henry Lawson's Sanctuary to save her sister even at the cost of her own life and alter everyone to what it really was.  And at the end of Priority: Horizon she has finally achieved her ultimate goal. Freeing both her and her sister from the shadow of their father. At the cost of her own life depending on certain outcomes.

How long she worked for Cerberus is irrelevant because it was nothing more then a means to an end. She worked for TIM and in exchange TIM kept her and Oriana safe from her Father. Now maybe she did truly believe in TIM and Cerberus and became disillusioned with them. But there is no thematic, narrative or emotional reason that she would have to be present for the assault on Cronos station.  EDI, Jack and Jacob have far more reason to be there.

Now you can certainly want her there. But don't pretend there is any narrative, emotional or thematic reason for it.

Robo space commies *shudders*