A Mass Effect question

[LauriJ]

You know the reapers from the ME series right? Well, they apparently kill civilisations because of their ability to make synthetic life that they see as thread. While this sounds interesting, do you think that a civilisation can be spared if they don't create synthetic life at all or would they still attack because they have the potential to create synthetic life?

 

[RJ 17]

It's the latter. The Reapers don't care if you have already created synthetic life, intend to create synthetic life, or even have the ability to create synthetic life. They harvest you because, in their eyes, the creation of synthetic life is an unshakeable inevitability. I don't know how they determine if a race is too primitive to harvest, but if you're above the "ripe for harvest" line, it doesn't matter what your intentions (or lack there of) towards the creation of synthetic life are, you will be harvested.

For instance, it's Council law that creating synthetic life is strictly forbidden. I think the Quarians used to have an embassy on the Citadel before they lost their homeworld, but the council booted them off the Citadel when they created the Geth. The point is, the races in this cycle have policies that actively punish the creation of true synthetic life, but that's not good enough to keep the Reapers from reaping.

 

[sgtshock]

First of all, you really need to put a spoiler warning on your thread title, or place your question in spoiler tags, you basically gave away the end of the game without any warning. And second of all, I'm guessing it's the latter, it's not exactly like

Spoiler

the Reapers ask nicely if a civilization has developed synthetics or not, and the Reapers still saw fit to exterminate all races, even though only the Quarians developed the Geth in this series. I could be wrong though, the entire ending was really rushed and didn't bother to explain things in detail.

 

[BloatedGuppy]

...but that's not good enough to keep the Reapers from reaping.

Reapers gotta reap.

Seriously, you're just setting them up for this kind of nonsense when you name them "Reapers". It's like naming your kid Thug Malone and then acting surprised when he enters a life of crime.

If I ever create a race of monstrous synthetic-organic hybrids I'm going to call them "Huggers".

 

[RJ 17]

...but that's not good enough to keep the Reapers from reaping.

Reapers gotta reap.

Seriously, you're just setting them up for this kind of nonsense when you name them "Reapers". It's like naming your kid Thug Malone and then acting surprised when he enters a life of crime.

If I ever create a race of monstrous synthetic-organic hybrids I'm going to call them "Huggers".

To be fair, "Reapers, a label created by the Protheans to give identity to their destruction." Sovereign said that (or something along those lines). You've got a race of giant space monsters that appear to be harvesting your civilization...kinda like you're a bunch of crops being reaped for the harvest.

That is, the Reapers don't really give a fuck what you call them, they're gonna do what they're gonna do. Calling them "Reapers" is just attaching a name to them because that's what they're doing: reaping. So it's not so much "We were named Reapers so we's gonna go out raping REAP! Reaping!" but rather a case of "These giant monsters appear to be harvesting us, so lets call them Reapers."

The action came before the name rather than the name determining their actions.

 

[BloatedGuppy]

To be fair, "Reapers, a label created by the Protheans to give identity to their destruction." Sovereign said that (or something along those lines). You've got a race of giant space monsters that appear to be harvesting your civilization...kinda like you're a bunch of crops being reaped for the harvest.

That is, the Reapers don't really give a fuck what you call them, they're gonna do what they're gonna do. Calling them "Reapers" is just attaching a name to them because that's what they're doing: reaping. So it's not so much "We were named Reapers so we's gonna go out raping REAP! Reaping!" but rather a case of "These giant monsters appear to be harvesting us, so lets call them Reapers."

The action came before the name rather than the name determining their actions.

Can you be sure? Maybe if they'd been called Cuddlers they might've had an identity crisis after a few cycles and changed their ways.

If nothing else, it would have been delightfully incongruous if they'd been referred to as The Cuddlers throughout Mass Effect.

"The Cuddlers are coming!"
"That sounds wonderful!"
"No...wait...you have to listen! Wait!"

 

[RJ 17]

To be fair, "Reapers, a label created by the Protheans to give identity to their destruction." Sovereign said that (or something along those lines). You've got a race of giant space monsters that appear to be harvesting your civilization...kinda like you're a bunch of crops being reaped for the harvest.

That is, the Reapers don't really give a fuck what you call them, they're gonna do what they're gonna do. Calling them "Reapers" is just attaching a name to them because that's what they're doing: reaping. So it's not so much "We were named Reapers so we's gonna go out raping REAP! Reaping!" but rather a case of "These giant monsters appear to be harvesting us, so lets call them Reapers."

The action came before the name rather than the name determining their actions.

Can you be sure? Maybe if they'd been called Cuddlers they might've had an identity crisis after a few cycles and changed their ways.

If nothing else, it would have been delightfully incongruous if they'd been referred to as The Cuddlers throughout Mass Effect.

"The Cuddlers are coming!"
"That sounds wonderful!"
"No...wait...you have to listen! Wait!"

Saren:"Eden Prime was a major victory, the beacon put us one step closer to the Conduit..."
Benezia: "...and one step closer to the return of the Cuddlers."