BioWare Blog - N7 Day 2022

Members of the Cult of the Machine God(s) merging themselves with Reaper tech to reach ascensions. 

I might have merged something from Deus Ex with Mass Effect, but Cerberus was kind of already big with the idea, it's just that Tim believed he would be the one controlling the gods.

I mean it's a decent catch but I'm not sure it has any real significance.

I said it before, I don't think it's cloaked ships, to me it's looks like an image or another short video embedded inside the first one.

Not at all saying this will or must happen, but my older posts would sometimes describe something like:

-Reapers and synthetics largely destroyed, whether from Destroy or a destructive effect since the war; this is the most impactful for the setting and would still make it *mostly* 'post-Destroy'
-Reapers and synthetics present to some extent today, whether from Control or a re/constructive effort since the war
-Merging with organics and synthetics being a present situation for at least some people, whether from Synthesis's future or a technological progressive movement since the war

If the Reapers and synthetics are *mostly* not present due to some sort of conflict or disaster from one, then there's some respect given to Destroy.
If the Reapers and/or synthetics present are more uh, involved with the Milky Way society instead of lurking or hiding, then there's some respect given to Control.
If the Reapers and/or synthetics are directly integrated into at least some organics in what is at least arguably a symbiotic relationship (correct view or not) instead of obviously horrific, then there's some respect to Synthesis.

But Destroy cannot have its full effect, because the 'problem' was always going to arise again, and now its happening surprisingly early compared to expectations. The Reapers are back because their corpses may always leave some legacy behind. The Geth are back because their technology can be rebuilt. Time can pass and give relations (narratively) a partial reset anyway.
And Control cannot have its full effect, because well, something goes awry even with the best benevolent intentions, and this something has taken us at least temporarily down more than a peg. Even if there was a past relationship with synthetics, it can still go to crap and make a still largely-organic-ruled society afterwards, just one that better comprehends interactions with synthetics that isn't universally combative (we'll always have EDI on record, but even besides, there can be post-ME3 stories of more positive relations post-war and without dark Reaper interference).
And Synthesis cannot have its full effect, because perhaps something internal and/or external to the galaxy would break whatever equilibrium was initially intended for the galaxy's status. Something that wouldn't fit any good predictive models, so it'd utterly MESS everyone up for a while, breaking up the union that might have temporarily existed before, even though it'd leave its transcendent legacy behind or even if it didn't happen, people were 'going to start doing this stuff anyway' (see: MEA's SAM, which in my opinion was there to start proposing this inevitability even though the Reapers' would've never trusted its eternal success)

And if the writing was tight enough, emphasis on certain historical changes can differ based on what was done with the Crucible. That it was a drastic move, a big and bad choice that had an effect for at least years or decades, but other things happened and even other major events created other effects regardless.

(the most IT-like approaches could just go 'it was all a vision simulation given to a dying Shepard about what the galaxy may be heading towards based on current information' but I'm just talking about everything being a literal and clear ME3 ending)

There's a possibility that this next Mass Effect tries less to fit into some action packed trilogy format, and instead tries to more naturally fulfill things like: the initial design documents for ME1/SFX, the assumed setup from much of ME1, and all sorts of nice ideas that just couldn't be budgeted or creatively afforded for ME2-ME3 or even the final product of ME1. Easier to do this, than things like start from a nearly clear slate, or get mired too much in post-ME3 consequences, or try too hard to tie too much to MEA (they may do all three to some extent, but just saying).

Oneeeee of those things, could be the Citadel and Council more obviously affected by brainwashing signals, and the human Alliance/others being more actively a thorn in the Council's side. IMO Mass Effect was going to go more into a 'how do we handle these insidious machines with creepy techniques before they finally arrive to mass wipe us out' more than 'lets shooty shoot the giant Terminator Baby for reasons then cry over one Earth child' but eh, Rule of Cool!

Dunno how on board I am with that, but cool to think about! A compromised galactic government that would otherwise be more fine and friendly than ever, and a humanity that should be doing comfortably by now but actually has a 'rebellious' hidden part that is trying to shake up this really creepy and potentially disastrous status quo (lead to Return Of Tha Reapers or whatever else bigger thing is going on).

Now I'm fanficcing a Milky Way that's been quietly subdued by an Indoctrination-offshoot effect and the only resistance left is trying to build and escape through a neo-Relay to Andromeda to fetch unaffected allies .
I don't think its happening. Its fun to imagine.

I actually can imagine it. I've wondered if indoctrinated beings might still follow pre-existing commands. So even with the Reapers dead they'd try to sabotage governments, organizations, technological advancements, etc. I would actually love to see this sort of thing happen.