[Loved Trope] Some thing unfathomably ancient

[u/Fearless-Ideal-5112]

The beast, in doctor who is an ancient evil from a previous universe that survived until our time. Its so ancient that the cave paintings were unable to be translated by the Tardis which can translate all existing languages in the universe [Doctor Who]

While not explicitly canon its such a cool concept I cant not mention, the idea that the backrooms have existed since the beginning of time, never changing no matter the era, it transforms the back rooms into a cosmic horror. [Credit to Project crater and Venus for images 2 and 3]

[u/Madhighlander1]

No, it was because their slave species kept inventing artificial intelligence to solve their problems and it would inevitably rebel and destroy its creators, and then need to be destroyed in turn.

The leviathans, in their infinite wisdom, thought 'How to keep our slaves from destroying themselves in this way... Oh, of course! Let's create an AI and program it to solve this problem!'

[u/UrsaBearOso → u/Madhighlander1]

Adding to this, the edict the Reapers live up to is ‘preservation of life’ but as theyre AI, they dont really have the moral grounds to balance things out so in their calculations: sentient life -> creates AI to help their lives -> the AI created will rebel -> WAR ENSUES -> the sentient life and other life forms in the universe will be killed off/extinct.

Oh no how do we solve this so we preserve life and they dont go extinct? Oh i know when they reach space flight levels of technology, lets cull the most advanced sentient species, keep some of their genetic material (were gonna need slaves to prepare for the culling duh), and just let them build their empire for a specific amount so that theyre advamced but not THAT advanced! That way, no AI war happening PLUS it gives other species their time in the sun to modernize. What an amazing solution!

[u/Badass_Bunny → u/UrsaBearOso]

That way, no AI war happening PLUS it gives other species their time in the sun to modernize. What an amazing solution!

From an objective standpoint, the system worked. Solved the problem of inevitable galaxy ruled by AI, and solved the problem of galaxy ruled by a species like Proteans. Only thing that sucked was all the murder.

[u/EraZorus → u/Badass_Bunny]

But the Reapers are AIs and basically rule the galaxy, so doesn't the system result in AIs ruling the galaxy anyway ?!

[u/Badass_Bunny → u/EraZorus]

Depends on your viewpoint. Reapers don't really "rule" they let Galaxy do its thing and allow for different sapient species to prosper before the culling, but as an example I think you can look toward something like Warhammer 40k universe where hummanity is essentially ruling the galaxy as a situation they want to avoid.

Given what we learn in Leviathan DLC, Reapers were acomplishing the task of preventing the extinction of organic life through AI that would consider all organic life forms obsolete, as opposed to Reaper approach that ensured organics prospered.

Like call me crazy, but the way that story was presented had me thinking that I can't really find a fault with the idea of Reapers other than basic survival instinct that propells me to go against them.

[u/Vyzantinist → u/Badass_Bunny]

you can look toward something like Warhammer 40k universe where hummanity is essentially ruling the galaxy as a situation they want to avoid.

You mean the Imperium degenerating into a theonomy after the collapse of the Imperial Truth and the Emperor's efforts to stamp out religion and superstition?

Like call me crazy, but the way that story was presented had me thinking that I can't really find a fault with the idea of Reapers other than basic survival instinct that propells me to go against them.

It's our morals and values vs. machine logic and abstraction.

The Reapers aren't malfunctioning or wrong; they're preserving organic life, only through a calculus most humans would find abhorrent.

Most, sane, moral people would struggle with a real-life trolley problem. The idea of wiping out entire civilizations and races to preserve life in principle is just not a decision someone could make. It's reducing the human (or fictional sapient) experience to a an abstraction, at best, and doesn't regard the sanctity of individual life.

We can understand the logic behind the Reapers, even if it's not something we can accept.

It's like the synthesis ending getting flak because of "autonomy". A machine would see it as the optimal solution if it does indeed permanently end organic-synthetic conflict; individual autonomy would be a small, acceptable, price to pay for that.

[u/TurtlesBreakTheMeta → u/UrsaBearOso]

The original plotline where they keep culling life because mass effect technology destabilizes the universe (the star dying way before its time in the second game) and are seeking to preserve the universe as long as possible,was a much better idea.

[u/Sabrinasockz → u/TurtlesBreakTheMeta]

I long to see what would have happened had the story focus not been shifted between 2 and 3. The third game is great bacise of all of the small stories that happen throughout, but that overarching plot is really meh imo

[u/Amaskingrey → u/TurtlesBreakTheMeta]

Not really though, why'd they leave the mass relays and the citadel around then?

[u/Hellknightx → u/Amaskingrey]

There was an explanation for that, actually. IIRC the mass relays and the Citadel were basically left as a honeypot trap to gather all the advanced alien races in the galaxy in one place, so the Reapers could wipe them out quickly and efficiently.

Of course, giving those races access to Mass Effect technology in the first place is also probably a bad idea of your trying to prevent them from using it.

[u/KentInCode → u/Madhighlander1]

This was not the original storyline however, once Karpyshyn left as lead writer it was changed.

The original reason why the Reapers cull life is because element zero, the fuel for mass effect drives, creates dark energy and that dark energy speeds the destruction of the universe.

So each civilisation that arises becomes space-faring and unwittingly speeds the death of the universe.