Speculation as to the nature of the E3 trailer "rings".

I mean, the possibility is there, yes. But with the lack of resources (remember, we can only carry what we bring on our backs) and the lack of backup it is highly unlikely that we'll get that ship before it gets a message off in the worst case, or gets away in the best case (and then brings in even more backup).  Plus, I think of the Arks more as a massive APC.  Not really used for assault.

With my scenario, we don't know what the star clusters are called so we can call them Abitron 1, Abitron 2, and Abitron 3. The aliens would have no idea of what we were talking about. Plus, if we split up soon enough, we could not even know where the others go.

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Those rings could be the necessary energy boosters to get the ARKs going.

I can't see them as construction platforms. Those need to cover the whole ARK.

 

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Ever see a photo of the US Navy's Dry Dock construction yards?   Work platforms are on both sides to permit workers unfettered access. Some of these super aircraft carriers are just monsters in size.
Link: www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3006792/100-000-tons-U-S-firepower-big-dock-Portsmouth-Aircraft-carrier-USS-Theodore-Roosevelt-anchors-Hampshire-coast-arriving-UK-five-day-visit.html


Here are some old dry dock photos to give you an idea.
link: www.warhistoryonline.com/military-vehicle-news/the-massive-floating-dry-docks-of-the-pacific-fleet-that-could-carry-battleships-and-aircraft-carriers-you-never-heard-about.html

If you take that visual and replace it with a ring at one end of the ARK... where are the crews? the external power cables.. the construction machinery?  It only makes sense to cocoon the ARKS while it's being constructed. The rings is where the ARK is moved to before launch.

That's my thinking anyway.

Sure, I get what you are saying Sartoz. In Star Trek, the starship construction yards have frameworks that encompass the ship they are building, the same as the dry docks for the naval ships you referenced. So the rings wouldn't really fit that same type of structure. However, in the scenes in ME3 showing the construction of the Crucible, there was not any kind of construction platform that I could see. So in ME it does not appear that they use that type of platform when building things in space. Possibly... But the ARKs look pretty much done in the clip anyway, so it could be for doing finishing work, getting people on board, or the power supply to jump-start them, like you said. I have very much been enjoying the different theories people have on this topic!

Okay, so, these Arks are being "prepped" above Earth; Mac talked about the people going are volunteers/recruits going for different reasons..so, no "escape the Reapers" theme going on?

The PaxWest and general BW ad themes have been about recruitment by the Systems Alliance (and I'm assuming this is actually relevant to MEA and not just rehashing N7 propaganda, etc. But it does coincide with the idea that the passengers being volunteers/recruits. Colonists like we've seen in the trilogy all deciding to go to the outskirts for different reasons). There were also those art posters of "Explorers Wanted" awhile back.

So the PathFinder project really seems to be a military project by the human Systems Alliance. Which would go along with the idea of searching for a new home for Humanity specifically in the survey leak. Or at least this part of it. It could still be a multi species project, however, we're focused on the human aspect because the PC is human.

Also, iirc, Mac intimated that we were leaving before (well before) the events of ME3. Which goes along with the more relaxed reasons for going. And would explain why all this is not interfering with the Crucible project.

There was mention once of a Krogan colony ship, so maybe each species that's going has their own Ark serving as an adapted homeworld. And they are rendezvousing at Earth...?

The Tempest could be a multi species vessel itself going out scouting, even though these species have their own colony ships. We saw the Krogan and Salarian by the PC in one of the trailers. But they all have their own agendas and priorities going out.

This may launch off during the time Shep is dead in ME2.

I wonder if we'll get a chance to see the ME version of future Earth before we go?

Timeline Moghedia, timeline. While the Council and the System Alliance higher ups know what Shepards know (and mostly believe him) his brain being the only evidence (eye witness) is what ultimately lead them to saying Sovereign was a new Geth ship. It's why the mass public doesn't know about the Reapers till ME3, it's why no one knows the Citadel can double as a giant relay.

We don't actually 'use' the Citadel as a Relay in the ME universe, only the Reapers do (or did, prior to are cycle, thanks racist enslaving Protheans). So we don't use it because well, I guess 2 reasons. One, the public doesn't know about it and that would be a pretty big 'oh shit' moment. Also it leads to another relay out where all the freakin' Reapers are. So, you know, even if everyone knew about it publicly no one would ever do that cause Reapers.

Also just getting to the edge of deep space of are galaxy is like 1% or less of the distance needing to be traveled. Getting out of the milky way is barely a drop in the bucket.

On a side note, I'm glad we have something to point to finally to show the game takes place BEFORE ME3. I am 100% sure 'The Reapers' are a driving force behind the project, but that wont be the public view (or our characters view) for the outset of the game. It's more inviting for new players and make a butt load more sense in the time line.

Always thought about it like the Moon landing during the cold war. That whole thing had 2 main driving forces behind it. The public talked about reason (and probably the main driving force for NASA/Astronauts) of 'because we can, because its hard, because we want to'. And then there was the government less shouted out reason of the cold war, g'damn commy bastards blah blah blah.

Just, you know, replace commies with Reapers.