The elephant in the room

Thought I want to propose: Friend of mine said he thought Shepard wasn't the type to seize control of the Reapers and said he'd probably "free" the Reapers from the Catalyst's directive if he chose the control ending and let them have their own free-will.


Thoughts on giving mecha-cthulu's free will?

Implication from my buddy was that releasing them from the Catalyst's control would make them like the Geth/respect Shepard since "it would not be logical for an organic to give free-will to a group so powerful that's massacred organics for multiple cycles." Seems like an interesting thought as that would make the Reaper's heads hurt something awful but I dunno if I trust the writing staff of ME3 to handle that idea.

I'd be interested if a "free-will" control ending meant that the Reapers started feeling emotions ah-la synthesis. It'd be interesting to see the Reapers feel mass remorse and commit mass suicide, now that'd be a memorable ending.

I'm not talking certainties.  I'm looking at possibilities.  I prefer to err on the side of caution.  I don't know what motives the suddenly free Reapers might have but I do know they're more powerful than anyone else in the galaxy.  Do you have evidence to the contrary?

The Reapers just spent a billion plus years harvesting every spacefaring species they could find.  Your analogy is a complete fail.

I'd be very worried about giving them free will. I imagine my Shepard keeps them around as guards or sends them into a black hole or something. They could just choose to continue the cycles of extinction and that's not something I'd risk.

What are your own thoughts on this?

Proof?

This is a false premise.  We know Reapers are willing to war with others.  We've seen ample evidence of it.  We also know (based on in-game comments) that Reapers think themselves superior to everything that isn't them.  You can build a case that they aren't trustworthy based on a billion years of evidence.  Your assumption that Shepard might be a pedophile is not supported by anything written about our protagonist at any point in time.  Your arguments only hold up inside your own head.  This is why people dismiss you.

Heck, the Reapers could decide they need to think on what just went down and voluntarily leave the galaxy. That'd be kinda cliche but still more satisfying if Shepard went down in history as "The Man Who Could Have Killed the Reapers, Set them Free and Blew the Entire Galaxy's Mind" rather than Shepardbot, Benevolent AI Overlord.

Mmmm the delicious irony of your post at the end. Because every single thing you just said applies to you in spades. In fact it applies to you far more then it applies to me because everything I say is based directly on what happened in game. And in deed is were the conflict comes from as I take the events of the game very literally.  Are you not aware of how much of a contradiction you are right now?  How does the old saying go those who live in glass houses shouldn't throw stones.

The Reapers are superior to everything that isn't them by every measurable way. Longer lived, smarter, stronger, faster. That isn't really anything up for debate because there is no denying it. Their actions were based on logic and view point that it was the best option. The events of the ending be it synthesis or control shift the equation into a completely new formula.  What once was 1+3=4 is now 4+7+ 11 or 3+4= 7. 

A new perspective on the problem with a new solution or enacting change to the developmental path of the galaxy to prevent the problem are both the fundamental changes that invalidate the entire statement. Not to mention the Catalyst directly states as clear as day. That the harvest cycle is failing. That organic life is adapting to it and so a new solution would be necessary. That is a key reason why it even offers Shepard the options because it needs a new solution to replace the failing one.  So even the concept of the Reapers helping the galaxy rebuild, regrow and advanced in technology only to randomly try to harvest them again and restart a failing system makes no sense.  The only way it makes any sense is if you assume the Reapers have a hate boner for the rest of the galaxy and are just chomping at the bit to get some sweet sweet harvesting done.

They are superior, they have a well earned ego, they do look at other life forms as less then them. But that isn't the same as just waiting for the slightest excuse to kill all organic life because they love doing it.  What is the logic in restarting a failing system? Particularly after you went though all the trouble to allow them to repopulate, rearm and advance in technology that would allow them to fight even more effectively against you since they will by this point now know more about the Reapers then the first war.

Happy ending mod