this post was submitted on 18 Jan 2024
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Thinking about replaying Mass Effect again, is it better to save or let the council die? Which choice is best for advancing the cause of the galactic working class?

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[–] [email protected] 19 points 10 months ago (1 children)

Humans in the setting are annoying and uppity, so I sided with the council, I mean if you consider their perspective the humans come across like Qanon fanatics screaming about evil space demons and literal visions of doom, if I was the council I would've revoked their embassy and sanctioned earth for the good of the galaxy

Of course like the rest of the game it isn't much of a choice; do you want to save the alien space neolibs or install human space neolibs who are more openly racist?

[–] [email protected] 13 points 10 months ago* (last edited 10 months ago)

And then people wondered why their choices at the end didn't matter.

The series is unintentionally a great commentary on Western imperial 'democracy' being one choice masquerading as many.

[–] [email protected] 15 points 10 months ago (1 children)

Which choice is best for advancing the cause of the galactic working class?

Isn't it if you let them die, a bunch of racist humans replace them? I'd say in the framework of the space lib cop game, saving them is better.

The actual best choice is to let space cop Shepard die on Eden Prime officer-down

[–] [email protected] 7 points 10 months ago (1 children)

Isn't it if you let them die, a bunch of racist humans replace them?

Udina says that in the ME1 epilogue, but during development for ME3 they more or less gave up on choices having consequences so they end up just being different coloured versions of the same alien councilmembers.

[–] [email protected] 5 points 10 months ago

I had lost significant interest in Bioware games around the time Dragon Age 2 and Mass Effect 3 came out, so that totally tracks lol

[–] [email protected] 7 points 10 months ago (1 children)

I hated how the game just kinda assumes you're racist if you let them die. From what I remember, people call you out for doing it, and you don't even get dialogue options to defend yourself.

[–] [email protected] 6 points 10 months ago (1 children)

Let's be honest there's no good reason to let them die.

[–] [email protected] 6 points 10 months ago* (last edited 10 months ago) (2 children)

My logic was that defeating Sovereign was more important than anything else, so I didn't want to waste ships on saving a few individuals.

The option I chose was actually called "focus on Sovereign", but I think the consequences are exactly the same as the "let them die" option.

[–] [email protected] 6 points 10 months ago

There could even have been a 4th option for "Save the Destiny, it's the biggest ship in the fleet."

[–] [email protected] 2 points 10 months ago

I chose to save them and I can't recall any consequences for not focusing Sovereign, but that was a decade ago so I might have forgotten.

[–] [email protected] 6 points 10 months ago* (last edited 10 months ago)

The neoliberal space hegemony continues unimpeded either way and there is minima bearing on the story. Pick which option you think is funniest

[–] [email protected] 3 points 10 months ago

I played through again recently and there is a side quest where you have to board a ship that has been seized with some CEO on board who refused to pay compensation for faulty implants I think. May be getting several quests confused. Anyway, of course the only ethical course of action permitted in this game is to kill the workers. I think I at least was able to let them kill him first.