(Idea) Mass Effect: Terminus

Progressing the Heleus cluster, while potentially keeping Ryder & Co., is easy when you think about it. There is a gigantic black hole at the heart of the cluster, have some expedition to the black hole that goes wrong, and you can have decades pass for the crew in a blink of an eye. When they return, the cluster can be far better developed, with Initiative towns and cities to explore if you progress far enough.

It isn't pointless. Just different than what you want. Get over it.

Do they even have funerals in the Mass Effect Universe?  The closest we've come so far is a little memorial speech for Thane and the hanging of a plaque on a wall for Shepard.  We do see caskets on the ship, but there's never any indication of anything like an actual funeral for anyone at any time.  In truth, most bodies disappear too quickly for any sort of funeral.  Just another example of just how inconsistent Bioware can be about pulling the rabbits out of their hat whenever convenient.

I have Dunn die in two playthroughs, but I don't recall that scene triggering for me.

I may have to do a people die ending in me2 to see it but I got the implications of a memorial for them.

It's still just a implied memorial, not a funeral and not actually portrayed in the story.  See my response to Hanako Ikezawa, above.

That is a very good plot. Except this plot first better on ME2 where Shepard is still alive and working for STG to uncover Prothean artifacts to prepare for the Reapers instead.

I think it is a very interesting idea and I applaud your creativity. In my opinion it would make a very good Mass Effect novel or comic series, or potentially a "A Mass Effect Story" one-off game (Think Rogue One or Solo to Star Wars). The argument people have that "we know the ending so how can it be interesting" I think is misplaced. In the case of a one-off game, the fate of the Milky Way Galaxy wouldn't really be the main concern, it would be the much smaller (but still interesting) stakes of this story. Not all issues need to be galaxy or planet-ending. In "Solo", you know Han makes the Kessel Run, but the movie itself is still fun and exciting. This would be even better than that because the individual story of the protagonist wouldn't be known at all, only the fate of the galaxy.

I do feel that this idea exemplifies a problem with the Mass Effect fandom: We don't really know what we want. People were assuredly underwhelmed with Andromeda, and the ME3 ending debate is (somehow) still going on. Fans want a reboot, and a remake, and to return to the Milky Way for ME4 with Shep, or with a different protagonist, or MEA2 with Ryder, or definitely without Ryder, or a Contact War game, or a game where you are a C-Sec agent. But for the most part, no one agrees that any of these could be good, only ONE can be good. They want more alien aliens and no romances and MORE ROMANCES etc etc. If Bioware tried to listen to the community on what the next Mass Effect game would be they'd be torn apart as one being drawn and quartered. Look at some recent successes: God of War and Red Dead Redemption 2. Both are sequels of beloved franchises/games. Both are somewhat of a departure from their predecessor. The developers didn't let the fans dictate what the games would be, they chose to follow their creative vision. Now they are two of the most successful games of the year and will be benchmarks for similar games to come. Bioware, I think, have been trying too hard to appease what their fans think they want, instead of following an artistic vision. Can anyone really blame them for wanting to jump to a different type of game in Anthem? People complain that they aren't doing enough with Anthem to entice and placate their traditional Bioware fans, but a this point do you think they really want to interact with the loudest of the "traditional Bioware Fans"?

At any rate, the idea is fun and interesting and I would play it as a game. However Others are correct as well that a very similar story could be told in Andromeda, and if you are going to ignore most of the known Milky Way setting anyway, you might as well do it in Andromeda where it would seem they want to focus their new story. I loved the original trilogy, but I think at this point it's ok to let it go and move on with the setting.

Good imagination! Could be a really good fan-fiction if you like to write!