If Bioware ever decides to choose a canon ending for Mass Effect 3, which one would you prefer?

destroy all the time, every time.

Well, this topic won't open a can of worms or anything, will it?

Synthesis for me. A "happy ending" Destroy would also be acceptable.

Destroy, only because IMO it would have the most potential for interesting sequels.

I'd say Destroy, it seems to be the most popular one for fan consensus.

They could also go the Deus Ex Human Revolution route and make all of them non-canon, although that could kick the hornets' nest.

Destroy. Preferably with EDI and the Geth surviving. I don't see why not since there is a difference between EDI, Geth and the Reapers. The latter were not true synthetics, imo, unlike the former two.

Why do you people assume that going back to the milky-way necessarily translates into making a sequel to mass effect 3 set chronologically after it?

It could be an improved version of the trilogy.

Or even a total remake of it.

It could be some sort of prequel.

Or even an inter-sequel set between the games.

Or even a parallel game (like Crysis Warhead).

Post-ME3 is just one of the options. And frankly, the least attractive one. Not to mention the least feasible.

1 Refusal- Not really an option. Just a glamorized game over screen for the idiots who could not get the story, all built over the notion that its numerically impossible to defeat the reapers by conventional means. Making shepard react like an insane person (or a spoiled brat, pretty much a reflection of the audience that demanded such nonsense) incapable of dealing with the choice of picking the lesser evil among unpleasant options, I am glad that the producers would not simply make the whole premise of the game be a lie and have the allied forces win the battle conventionally (specially when the bulk of the efforts were made in built the colossal crucible). It was a well deserved slap on the face of the entitled lunatic fringe that can't deal with any kind of opposition or unpleasant choice.

2-Synthesis : A galaxy made of a combinations of organic and mechanic life-forms in which everything and everyone is both organic and synthetic? I will pass. Worst setting ever to start a story.

3-Control So the galaxy has the reapers as guard-dogs and a quasi-god intelligence directing them as an overseer. Its hard to conceive a threat to such scenario.

4-Destroy is the least unpleasant and the only one that could fixed. Sure, the AI were disabled, but others could be built. The star kid himself said that in just a matter of time the repetition would continue with more AIs entering the stage. I hate it as an ending, but do consider it the best status quo if ever the terrible idea for a sequel were to be considered. And the most easily to restore the status quo.

But the state of the galaxy is just one of the things.

Depending on your choices, there could be more Quarians on Andromeda than on the Milky-Way. There could be no geth at all. Unless someone like xen decides to re-create them.

There could be rachni. Or not.

Earth could have been decimated.

Krogans could have been cured or not.

But worst of all, choosing a canon ending (no matter which) is the ultimate disregard for the players choices along the trilogy.

I hope it never happens. But considering how bad EA has been for the past years, the chances that it will happen do seem high.

Nah

Destroy.

It's the only option that ends the Cycle and eliminates the Reapers for good, which has been Shepard's primary objective and main driving force for all three games. It's antithetical to the very premise and core theme of the trilogy for Shepard to chose anything else.

While it requires the regrettable sacrifice of EDI and the Geth, we know that EDI was perfectly willing to lay down her life to protect Joker and her friends, if it meant destroying the Reapers for good.

As for the Geth, they might have been safe if they'd not foolishly uploaded Reaper code into themselves, since it's implied that the energy wave only targets anything with Reaper tech in it (which is why EDI was also affected). Uploading the Reaper code also goes against the very reason they refused Nazara's offer in the first place, because the true Geth didn't want to "cheat" their way to full AI status.

I like the Geth... but part of me thinks they kinda brought this on themselves.

Also the idea of the Milky Way experiencing a bit of a Dark Age, rather than a cosy catastrophe as implied by the Extended Cut, would make it far more better to revisit. Lets see the Milky Way that's had a major political and social upheaval as a result, what with Thessia having fallen, the Citadel now being located in Earth orbit and the Krogan potentially cured of the Genophage.

Furthermore, they could open up new areas of the galaxy by explaining that the Relay network suffered various degrees of damage, with some being outright destroyed and some being merely damaged. As a result, many of the old routes are no longer viable or even fully functional, so exploration teams are required to go out and explore unknown parts of the network, in the hopes they can find a Relay that can act as a "bypass" and link them back to somewhere familiar.

Look just because you like to twist Mass Effect into a Disney Channel type series were bad things never happen and everything is simple and easy to understand for 3 year olds visa vie MEHEM mod. Doesn't mean that would be the best way to make a movie or TV show particularly when it is aimed for 13+ people.

But hey if you want to turn the Mass Effect Trilogy into a shallow mockery of it self for your personal play. That is fine you do you.  As for Synthesis makes you want to vomit welcome to how I feel about MEHEM mod.

When people's opinion are set in indestructible metal that would cut though Wolverine's adamantium skeleton like a hot knife though butter you really can't call it a controversial subject anymore.  You could create a 48 page detailed report putting more effort into it then the entire game development team did for the trilogy to show why you think X or Y made sense and you would be met with the respond about how it doesn't line up with their opinion.  Thus the beginning and end of that discussion is said in 6 words.  There are many words I could pick to describe any topic involving the ending of the trilogy but controversial isn't one of them.

I'm not suggesting it's an illegitimate choice. It just doesn't work for a post ME3 game is all.

We could be playing an alien race in 50,000 years that discovers it all anew