Unpopular opinions

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.

I never thought the three headed thing had anything to do with Cerberus. It was the underworld aspect.

The relay for the Sol System orbits Pluto (Roman god of the Underworld) and and was the moon Charon (the ferrymanto teh underworld) Cerberus was the guardian of Pluto's realm. Just as this Cerberus guards "Pluto"s" realm. ie the Sol system and humanity in general.

Its not as simple as the first guy made it out. You can't splice Y chromosome and implant it inside X chromosome to produce a female and because its the smallest chromosome in human genome, a person do not need Y chromosome to survive. And one should also consider various aspects of molecular biology, chemistry and physics. How can anyone guarantee the spliced altered-Y chromosome would stay within its designate section and doesn't migrate to other chromosomal structures during the state of interphase. There's also how unstable the entire genetic structure can be, how severe alteration could have unintended side effects.

Its possible that Henry Lawson suffer a severe genetic defect that he is incapable of creating his natural children and perhaps he have nonviable sperms. Its also possible that he intended to create sons but somehow they didn't survive unlike the feminized counterparts. Miranda tell Shepard herself that she have an altered form of her father's Y chromosome so its possible she survive to adulthood due to inactive Y chromosome expression.

But even after all these biology-talk, it shouldn't matter. Miranda identified herself as female and her appearance is a feminine ideal. She is a woman.

But Cerberus is a three headed dog. It made sense that TIM is the main head who control the business aspect of the operation, Petrovsky is the military and Lawson is the science. BTW, corporate science is a trillion dollar worth industry and I don't feel TIM is the one who understand science as Henry does.

In ME3, it didn't seem Lawson was there in the Sanctuary facility as a business consultant. He is acting like he's the project leader. His understanding of reaper nanites and its effects on human circulatory system and hormone delivery is not said by someone who take it up as a hobby but an expert in the field. He talk my language, same as Mordin and Padok Wiks.

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.

TIM did not control his organization by himself. He have cells with specific purposes and lead by operatives he trusted. TIM didn't magicked all these simply by several waves of his hand and throw money at everything. He lack scientific and military knowledge. Jack Harper was a mercenary who happened to be very charismatic, so why wouldn't it possible he hand these to someone more competent than he is and who believe in the cause. Lawson himself is a very wealthy man even by galactic standard and by Miranda's own admission, did privately fund Cerberus, so why wouldn't he be deeply involved in the organization itself.

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.

You have a point there, although I'd love her there myself. Or just something. I might've been happy if she just showed up with her kids on some N7 mission or on Priority Earth. But simply "nothing" is what sucks... when it comes to all ME2 squaddies for that matter. Cronus is just a focal point because Jack can be there in a negative state (as a phantom) -- so why not a positive state? The same can be said for Miranda - her name is mentioned to Kai Leng in a negative state. But Bioware can't be bothered with a positive state. There's no fun consequences for any of your "good decisions". And that is a failure in a choice based game. Choices mean much less without consequences.

I think you're expecting too much. It's just a game, simplistic by literary standards, and that paints in wide strokes. It doesn't have the time or space to be extensive, so it has to grab people quickly. It's more entertainment than some philosophical treatment of aliens and AI. It's easy to use simple concepts like "human" to get a point or characterization across. And it's easy identify with aliens that capture some aspect of our humanity --- for example, Garrus symbolizes a "dirty cop" more than he does anything "alien". And people love it.

I don't know.. just have fun with it (besides...you wouldn't be here if you really didn't ).


In fact, this is sort of what I'm afraid of for Andromeda. It's now thrice-removed from anything we know. I'd rather not deal with weird shit. My favorite parts of Mass Effect were the cities and human-like behavior of the criminals and other citizens. I got a lot of laughs from this. I'm not going to have any fun if we just explore fantasy-like areas or interact with Thorian type of aliens. Some of that is cool, but pure otherworldliness is not what Mass Effect was ever about to me.

Then is should not have been possible to shoot Wrex in ME1.  The Citadel Coup standoff is almost a carbon copy of that first scenario with Wrex.

I have nothing against BioWare wanting to expand their demographics, by all means add in characters like Tranyor or Cortez if that's what they want to do. The issue I have is when non-human elements are reduced while all these human issues and hot topics take up more and more of the narrative spotlight. Traynor and Cortez are fine on their own, but when just one of those characters gets more screen time in a single game than the Rachni, Elcor and Hanar got in all three games combined that I start to have complaints. 

That's the crux of the issue for me. Historically, BioWare can't seem to have both a nuanced setting full of non-human elements and one that covers all their social/political check-boxes. And while I'm sure that there are people that want to see more of such human soapboxes addressed, I personally didn't buy a science fiction title to be presented with 'mundane' topics that I can easily turn on the news or load up Twitter to see 24/7 in the real world.

Yes you do seem to struggle with the concept of people not instantly agreeing with you.

BTW how goes the hunt for the proof to back up your claim that ME3 retcon Miranda into 2nd in command of all of Cerberus.

I understand Wrex doing what he did. The desperate character pulling a weapon and trying to charge through (metaphorically or literally) the hero or CO, despite it clearly being hopeless is not a new trope. Typically the hero or commander talks him down with a "it's not worth it/we'll find another way" speech at which point the desperate character gives up. It's pretty standard. I didn't even blink.

I've never killed Wrex but if I had to, I'd shoot him myself. I don't need anyone doing my killing for me. Or at best, give the order, but the responsability would still be mine.

Ashley shot Wrex in my first PT. I reloaded, bumped up my Charm skill, then kept him alive. He's never died in any of my PTs (1 non-import game excluded). I think that action tainted Ashley for me. I really don't like her to this day and leave her on Virmire in most of my games. I did one Ashley romance trilogy run, but in another dimension that same Shepard dumped her for Miranda and kept her around just to shoot her in 3.

Not entirely sure about that.  I feel like the relationship between Shepard and the VS should have made shooting them impossible.  Wrex is cool but, at the end of the day, he's still a hired mercenary.