tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3967694277763110629.post7315575447223393080..comments2024-03-28T07:16:05.720-07:00Comments on Experience Points: Cultural Conflict: The Politics of Mass Effect, pt. 3Jorge Alborhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04857765716032886965noreply@blogger.comBlogger4125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3967694277763110629.post-86300741376343029262010-05-28T23:31:02.750-07:002010-05-28T23:31:02.750-07:00@ Mass Effect Nerd
First off, good to know I'...@ Mass Effect Nerd<br /><br />First off, good to know I'm not the only self-proclaimed "mass effect nerd. Excellent comment and completely correct. Cooperation for mutual defense is a major factor in the Citadel's success. Similarly, larger organizations like NATO or the UN evolved out need for mutual cooperation (against the possibility of war - somewhat defensive in nature.) <br /><br />As you mention, the Council is a slow bureaucratic group, but when they make a decision, they stick with it (except for support for Shepard against the Reavers for some reason.) Interestingly, although the Citadel and the council is incredibly old, they still display the symptoms of a young governmental body. Simply put, many of their historical decisions seem short-sighted. But then again, we do not see a lot of the work the Citadel puts in to maintain galactic cooperation and well being.<br /><br />Anyway, the universe is super rich in material and I could go on and on. Thanks for stopping by and giving it a read!Jorge Alborhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04857765716032886965noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3967694277763110629.post-17571243414906637282010-05-28T18:19:48.901-07:002010-05-28T18:19:48.901-07:00I'm a little late to this conversation, but on...I'm a little late to this conversation, but one point i have to advance is the notion of fear. The Citadel and aligned non citadel races mutually co-exist to defend against hostile or more aggressive species. In the beginning storyline of ME1 we see this cautious attitude towards humans and their inclusion into the Council. By ME1's conclusion it becomes obvious that humans are a welcome compliment to defend against a very hostile species.<br /><br />We see the same parallels in history having to look no further than WW1 and WW2 as examples. The Allied forces aligned themselves against the Axis threat, whom coincidentally shared a very thin common thread of fascism. The Mass Effect story shares this common theme.<br /><br />The Council has at various times welcomed the belligerence (Krogan)of various species to defend against a greater enemy (Rachni), only to expel them for a more accomodating one(Turian). <br /><br />In ME there is this recurring theme of circles of inclusion --- either friend or foe. I think what's so interesting about the Council storyline is how decisive and final their conclusions are, operating from a sense of fear or doom perhaps.<br /><br />The Quarians forever excommunicated and abandoned, the Rachni exterminated, the Krogan sterilized. Also whats so fascinating about the whole damn thing is that the Council are the good guys. It drives one to ponder how far is too far if it means defending one's self from an enemy political or otherwise, even if that enemy lusts for your own destruction. <br /><br />ME perfectly captures that feeling of inclusion into a galactic community. But also the fear that comes from interacting with the otherness of life. The greatest enemies so far all incapsulate this otherness (GETH/REAPERS- synthetics, Rachni/COLLECTORS - bugs) bearing no resemblance to what we as contemporary nor future humans (ME storyline) as sentient intelligent life.MassEffectNerdnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3967694277763110629.post-77880419839501464982010-04-28T22:16:08.231-07:002010-04-28T22:16:08.231-07:00@ Anon
Thanks for the comment! Although I somewha...@ Anon<br /><br />Thanks for the comment! Although I somewhat disagree.<br /><br />Once a species has the technology to use the Mass Relays, there really isn't anything holding them to the Citadel in terms of space travel other than potential warfare with the Citadel races. Humans, for example, traveled long light-distances using the relays before encountering the Turiens who believed they were breaking Citadel laws.<br /><br />The Citadel as a governing body is also superfluous if one species allied with another w/o Citadel interference. My point being, there are a lot of ways we can imagine the ME universe built politically in a different way. We need only look at various stages of political polarity in our own world. Euphemistic carrots aren't always enough to keep political bodies playing nice. Or, on the other hand, they can help build a foundation of trust that can extend long after the carrot isn't as enticing.<br /><br />But even the large scale group dynamics aside, the Citadel is a diverse city nonetheless. On an individual basis, it is a place where intergalactic citizens interact on a daily basis in a theoretically non-confrontational manner. That, as I see it, is enough to consider it an cosmopolitan in many ways.Jorge Alborhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04857765716032886965noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3967694277763110629.post-3523653329955844022010-04-28T12:00:56.526-07:002010-04-28T12:00:56.526-07:00Well, I think you're missing out on the point ...Well, I think you're missing out on the point these species are FORCED to congregate in a single shared space (the citadel) because the majority of these coaligned races lack the technology needed to travel long light-distances alone. Naturally, when offered to euphemistic carrot of space travel, aggressive, and perhaps even overtly hostile races are willing to play nice. <br /><br />The only exceptions to this rule are the species that are A) too aggressive and/or stupid to play by the rules and B) species whose technological levels have advances sufficiently to the point that they no longer need the advanced technology provided by the Citadel.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com