Asari

[Asclepion]

Asari had to breed with other races because breeding with other Asari is technically inbreeding, resulting in psychotically unstable sex vampires who are convinced they're gods among men.

...does that mean that before they developed faster-than-light technology they were confined to their home planet in an inbred, incestuous orgy as a race of killers and wackos?

Or does it mean they were forced to breed with common fauna in order to maintain dignity but that means they evolved by being animalfuckers.

 

[SajuukKhar]

The vampire thing is a VERY rare genetic abnormality, it doesn't happen often.

Also, both of Liara's parents are Asari, and shes not a vampire thing, so that's kinda proof right there that its not something that always happens.

 

[RJ 17]

This is actually explained in the game itself. For starters, the Asari Succubus are supposed to be an extremely rare genetic condition, so rare that when one was born amongst ancient Asari they were considered goddess of destruction. This is one of the plot-holes with ME3 as Samara clearly tells you in ME2 "There are only 3 of them in existence...and I have 3 daughters...it is as it seems" yet the Reaper forces clearly have plenty of Banshees in their ranks and, in fact, the Asari have an entire compound dedicated to housing the afflicted Asari to keep them away from the rest of society.

They try to cover their tracks by saying "Oh, there's varying degrees of them, there's only three in existence that were as powerful and dangerous as Morinth, but there were plenty other's that showed the genetic markers of one and that's why they're kept away from society."

Beyond that, Liara explains in ME1 that there's nothing wrong with Asari breeding with other Asari. Indeed before they could mix it up with other races, that would obviously be their only possible choice. The only reason it's frowned upon now is that supposedly breeding is now more of a cultural thing. To mate with other races is to expand the Asari culture and genetic pool. Asari + Krogan = an Asari that's much like a Krogan (i.e. Liara's "father").

 

[SajuukKhar]

This is one of the plot-holes with ME3 as Samara clearly tells you in ME2 "There are only 3 of them in existence...and I have 3 daughters...it is as it seems" yet the Reaper forces clearly have plenty of Banshees in their ranks and, in fact, the Asari have an entire compound dedicated to housing the afflicted Asari to keep them away from the rest of society.

They try to cover their tracks by saying "Oh, there's varying degrees of them, there's only three in existence that were as powerful and dangerous as Morinth, but there were plenty other's that showed the genetic markers of one and that's why they're kept away from society."

Actually, the banshees in Mass Effect 3 aren't Ardat-Yakshi, nor are they said to be Ardat-Yakshi. They are said to be Asari who carry the genetic factors that could spawn Ardat-Yakshi if they mated with another Asari. The Reapers manipulate that dormant genetic code and make it more active, increasing the Asari's power.

 

[RJ 17]

This is one of the plot-holes with ME3 as Samara clearly tells you in ME2 "There are only 3 of them in existence...and I have 3 daughters...it is as it seems" yet the Reaper forces clearly have plenty of Banshees in their ranks and, in fact, the Asari have an entire compound dedicated to housing the afflicted Asari to keep them away from the rest of society.

They try to cover their tracks by saying "Oh, there's varying degrees of them, there's only three in existence that were as powerful and dangerous as Morinth, but there were plenty other's that showed the genetic markers of one and that's why they're kept away from society."

Actually, the banshees in Mass Effect 3 aren't Ardat-Yakshi, nor are they said to be Ardat-Yakshi. They are said to be Asari who carry the genetic factors that could spawn Ardat-Yakshi if they mated with another Asari. The Reapers manipulate that dormant genetic code and make it more active, increasing the Asari's power.

And that's what I said in the 2nd paragraph of my post:

They try to cover their tracks by saying "Oh, there's varying degrees of them, there's only three in existence that were as powerful and dangerous as Morinth, but there were plenty other's that showed the genetic markers of one and that's why they're kept away from society.

They're not fully awakened or nearly as dangerous or powerful as Morinth was, but the potential lies within them and as such they're kept away from society at large. Trust me, I know my ME lore...I'm almost ashamed of how many play-hours I poured into that series....9 characters for each game with a minimum of 2 playthroughs each (in the case of ME3, some characters made it up to 5 or 6 playthroughs).

Edit:Still, though, they're considered Ardat-Yakshi even if they aren't full-blown. As you said, the Reapers bring out the Ardat-Yakshi laying dormant inside them, that's why they're able to kill with a single touch. This is explained with the crazy Asari who's telling her story in the hospital. She wanted to be more than friends with the Asari that ended up becoming a Banshee but "she had a...condition..."

 

[SajuukKhar]

snip

But your entire second paragraph is wrong because it isn't a degree of anything.

Its like saying someone is predisposed to some disease because a company warped his DNA which contained genetic factors that, if they had a child with someone else who has dormant generic dispoitions to that disease, would make that child predisposed to that disease. The original two parents are not predisposed, they just carry dormant genes that, when combined, make their child predisposed. The same is true of the asari who they make banhsees.

and the facility the Reapers use was made for Samara's children only, The Reapers merely took it over and used it to thier own ends. it did NOT contain all the asari the reapers use.

And yes, that Asari had a condition, the condition of carrying genetic factors that could lead to making an Ardat-Yakshi if she mated with another Asari. Its like being stigmatized for haveing DNA which could make your child predisposed to some disease. However, as mentioned before, that doesn't make the parent predisposed herself, just that she carries the genes for it, and is an outcast because of it.

 

[RJ 17]

snip

But your entire second paragraph is wrong because it isn't a degree of anything.

Its like saying someone is predisposed to some disease because a company warped his DNA which contained genetic factors that, if they had a child with someone else who has dormant generic dispoitions to that disease, would make that child predisposed to that disease. The original two parents are not predisposed, they just carry dormant genes that, when combined, make their child predisposed. The same is true of the asari who they make banhsees.

and the facility the Reapers use was made for Samara's children only, The Reapers merely took it over and used it to thier own ends. it did NOT contain all the asari the reapers use.

so no, you dont know your ME lore.

Alright, now you're just flat out wrong on that end. They built an entire compound to house Samara's three kids? Yeah, I guess that's why there's logs between the Asari living there talking about how they're going to sneak out after curfew to watch a movie. I guess that's why there's logs in which the Matriarch that runs the place is complaining about how one of the Justicars that hauls in run-away Ardat-Yakshi's is apparently beating the crap out of them and saying "Well they resisted arrest". I guess that's why there's further logues from that Matriarch talking about how she's displeased with one of the names on the list of possible candidates for a field-trip to Thessia considering how romantic and manipulative she is.

Play that section again, my friend, they didn't build an entire compound to house 3 asari.

The Reapers took the place over because they knew how deadly the Ardat-Yakshi were and they wanted to make them even deadlier by turning them into banshees. That's why you don't fight any Banshees in the main story until after you've completed that mission (or the mission becomes playable) because the Reapers hadn't hit that place yet, as such, they didn't have access to banshees.

So no, you don't know your ME lore. Thanks for playing, though.

 

[PoolCleaningRobot]

Nothing about the Asari make sense biologically when you get right down to it. Sure, they're aliens but Bioware still describes them as having DNA and all that. Why do they even need to have sex in the first place to reproduce, isn't it all about stimulating their neveous system? Can they get prego by shlicking? I think they're just an excuse to have blue space lesbians that may or may not be Cthulhu monsters tricking other species with their mind control powers

 

[DoPo]

Why do they even need to have sex in the first place to reproduce, isn't it all about stimulating their neveous system?

Erm, they don't have sex. Well, technically they do, but they do their "merging" thing. I'd assume some sort of contact with another is needed for, you know, genetic information to pass over.

 

[Millky95]

Straight from the codex:

"Banshees are the corrupted asari often found leading a Reaper strike force. The Reapers create them specifically from asari with active or latent predispositions to becoming Ardat-Yakshi, a rare neurological condition that enhances the asari's biotic power while causing the immediate death of anyone she mates with.

Lumbering as though in constant pain, the emaciated banshees are surprisingly durable opponents. They are devastating biotics able to hurl lethal balls of energy and create shockwaves as they regenerate. What Alliance military finds most disturbing is the Banshee's ability to spawn her own warp field and seemingly teleport during combat. Although their wails have no apparent physiological effect, the psychological impact is undeniable.

When banshees die, their Ardat-Yakshi genetics twist against them, causing a biotic implosion to ensure they evade capture."

So basically, the Banshees are Asari who have been modified by the Reapers. The Reapers could have easily found the DNA code from the monastery and put it into the normal Asari they capture. Samarea could be wrong and there may be more.

To the OP: Imagine the Ardat's like having a kid with 3 arms. When the Asari mate with each other the chances of having the condition is higher. When they mate with another species, the condition doesn't happen. The chances of having an Ardat is very, very minute.

 

[saintdane05]

they were confined to their home planet in an inbred, incestuous orgy as a race of killers and wackos?

That sounds like the best prequel Bioware can do. Someone write them!

 

[Brown Cap]

The vampire thing is a VERY rare genetic abnormality, it doesn't happen often.

Also, both of Liara's parents are Asari, and shes not a vampire thing, so that's kinda proof right there that its not something that always happens.

I think this guy's got it.
It's not inbreeding so to say, it just makes them "purebloods," something looked down upon because there is no genetic diversity.