Nor Javik nor Illusive man where correct. The reapers have the minds and souls of all the past civilisations, they live inside a reaper in a virtual world. To destroy them is to destroy all the harvested civilisations. Synthesis was the right choice, it is the lesser evil.
"Stand amongst the ashes of a trillion dead souls, and ask the ghosts if honor matters. The silence is your answer." That is still the rawest fucking line in fiction I have come across.
I wanted him to see what his cycle was like BEFORE the reapers, he was born when the war was already being fought. While I want him to move on after the final battle, I also don't want him to close himself off from experiencing the good parts of his people's history.
Not to open 50.000 old wounds is definitly the better option. It's weird enough to have a 50.000 Years old Prothean as Squad member. (If you bought the Day 1 Dlc . Its sad he was chance to a dlc. :-/ )
Both choices are kinda bad in their own way, but thats the problem with paragon/renegade. He SHOULD view it, grief and then find purpose in his own life for the sake of his own evolution and being.
That would be an awesome spin off game. A Halo Reach esque Mass Effect game where you play as Javik during the last days of the Prothean Empire. At the beginning of the game things go well for Javik as he and his men win back to back victory against reaper scouting parties. However then the game starts to go south actual reapers arrive and start making planetfall throwing the Prothean military into complete disarray. As each mission progresses more of Javik's squad get killed in action until the last mission is the clip we see during eden prime. When he is fighting off collectors to try and protect the stasis pods
@@televisedpork7993 He has control over whether he wanna probe the shard, just how you get to decide if you wanna put that piece of potato chip in your hand into your mouth. The pull is strong, but the whole process itself ain't automatic.
@@TheAceAssassin Certainly! And it is a delightfully nihilistic view too! We are all standing on a gigantic mountain of effort of unimaginable scale! A unbroken chain of mothers and daughters spanning millions of years! What is simple platonic ideas such as morality compared to that raw truth? The reapers with their silly metaphysical nihilism never stood a chance against nature!
Just like Kelly Chambers in ME3 I think.. You must insist her to change her appearance or she'll die when Cerberus attack the Citadel, and it's renegade choice
This is a brutally tough decision. Cause it feels like you're keeping something from him if you tell him not to. Ultimately, I just like the fact that Javik can live in a Reaperless universe for the first time in his life. Maybe he can grow to appreciate new things. Who knows.
To be honest, depending how you see Javik, him wanting to commit suicide after the battle would be a quite fitting end for his character. He clearly doesnt fit in, he is technically constantly feeling humiliated by the fact all the primitives are now as evolved as him and his mighty empire is all but ashes now. All things considered, Javik wanting to join his comrads in death after their species is finally avenged feels like a fitting end for him, he will finally be at peace now that the reapers are gone and his "vengence" is complete.
It feels like a fitting end because it's a grim fate for a grim character. He deserves better. He deserves to have a chance to live in a galaxy not being threatened by the Reapers. He's spent his whole life fighting a seemingly unwinnable war. He's earned a happy ending, and if he's not weighed down by re-opening old wounds and reminding himself of everything he's lost, he *takes* that chance to see what peace looks like. I'll take a happy ending over "Depressing for the sake of depressing". Of course, I'm also in the crowd that wishes there was a more traditional victory possible against the Reapers - even if just a Destroy ending that doesn't sacrifice EDI & the Geth.
@@Blazieth See I'm in both of those camps. I wanted my war assets to systematically beat back the reapers even if meant destroying that held the Galaxy together previously. To me a collapsed Mass Effect universe would be very interesting setting for future games.
Idk if this is messed up, but I think both outcomes of this are ok in my book. One the one hand, I believe Javik has the right to finally be at peace and join his comrades. On the other hand, having a living prothean contribute something to galactic society/history would benefit everyone, including Javik. That and, when he does die one day, he will be surrounded by those who care about him, being the Crew of the Normandy, and probably a sizable chunk of the Hanar population.
There's nothing wrong about wanting to join his old mates in death, but there's EVERYTHING wrong about wallowing in the pain of the past. If he still wanna join his mates after spending some years knowing what peace is like in a galaxy without the Reapers looming over their heads, sure, go ahead. But killing himself just because he got too caught up in the past to bother seeing what the future has to offer, that's just messed up.
I think a lot of folks just hear the suicide part and make a decision about the senario without thinking any deeper. It was kinda bittersweet but I saw it as he was at peace and wanted to return to his people. Javiks whole character was about how he was consumed by his fight against the reapers
Better to remind him of what he was and still is, remind him of his own "humanity", than to let him just think that he's a tool for war...to be discarded after everything's done.
@@amuroray34 that’s kinda what I feel like happened. The memories off all he had and all he lost back. I mean when you talk to him during that last fight he’s more sentimental than he’s been the whole game combined. It just felt to me more like putting a ghost to rest
@Taramafor Haikido so basically you're saying the devs were lazy with Javik? Afterall, he may be a DLC character, but his DLC was released the day ME3 originally released, so for him not to be polished suggests Bioware/EA were lazy with his creation. Just as they were greedy to release him on day one as DLC, when he is an essential part of the story.
I always assumed that Javick could mate with an Asari to keep some part of the Protheans alive in the Milky Way. Even if none of them ever look like he does, he can still pass along history, tradition, some genotype, and the culture of the Protheans so that they don’t have to die out. He’s doing that partially with the book, but offspring would be a living legacy.
I wonder what effect an Asari that came from a Prothean bond would have. You know, since some Asari like the vorcha ones tend to be lactose intolerant, and Matriarch Atheyta (Liara's mother) came with some psychological Krogan tendencies.
To be fair, we don't actually know if Javik goes through with it. He might choose to live after the final battle. Regardless, I still think making him remember should've had a better outcome. What Shepard said was right. The pain _should_ be worth remembering the good. It's like forgetting someone you dearly loved just because they died. Not to mention it implies Javik wasn't able to heal, letting his trauma win. It's kind of a bad message.
I tend to follow the school of "those who do not learn from history are doomed to repeat it" as well as the idea of honoring the past. If past sacrifices are forgotten you do the dead a terrible dishonor. this is most likely why using the echo shard is considered the paragon option (indicated by its position on the dialog wheel.) I also tend to make decisions in mass effect from an in character roleplaying standpoint. This is why I always let Rana Thanoptis off the hook even knowing that she eventually goes on a killing spree caused by her being indoctrinated. Shepard has no way of knowing whether or not she'll cause issues further down the line. She can only go based on what she sees in front of her, an unarmed enemy scientist who joined because she wanted to help the Krogan and is only really guilty of poor judgement. Said scientist immediately surrendered and has no plans to join the fight later on. A paragon doesn't kill an unarmed enemy that just wants to live. This is why I let Javik touch the echo shard but encourage Kasumi to let go of Keiji and Cortez to let go of his husband. Javik is the very last prothean, he has a duty to learn from the past in order to prevent history from repeating itself. It's not just about Javik, its about the Protheans who are gone who are depending on him to tell their story and the things that shard can tell us. If there was an option for Commander Shepard to view the contents in Javik's place, or for Javik to place his memories inside the shard so that the knowledge could be used after he's dead, then that's the option I would take. But that option isn't available, and Shepard has no way of knowing that letting Javik view the shard will result in his death. Kasumi doesn't plan on sharing the contents of that box with anyone, and doesn't have the memory an entire species resting on whether or not she keeps that past alive. Need I remind you that what Keiji found could potentially start a war with Kar'shan, the Batarian homeworld. Kasumi has her own memories of Keiji, in her own mind and heart, she doesn't need that box to honor his memory. And her heart being free will allow her to find a healthy 'after' losing Keiji working on the crucible. Perhaps even going on to become a spy for the Alliance or an informant for the Spectre office. Cortez similarly only has the burden of responsibility to the squad, he doesn't have knowledge that can help make a better future when the Reapers are gone. He has a skill with piloting and mechanics and the team needs his head in the game. His death is also a forseeable consequence of his not letting go and inability to focus. Kasumi is a sneak thief, she has the time to be introspective if she needs it, to contemplate conflicts like losing Keiji. But being a pilot is a mentally demanding job, and depression slows your reaction times. You only have to look at real world plane crashes to see how disastrous flying while distracted (called loss of situational awareness by law enforcement, the military and the airline industry) can be. In the end Cortez getting out of the final battle alive could have come down to one second either way and that grief is capable of killing him and potentially the squad he's carrying to battle. Shepard's a soldier, she knows what loss of situational awareness means to a person's survival on the battlefield or above it. And if he didn't let that recording go and had the option to do it, quite honestly I would have relieved him of duty prior to the final battle and made him assist the engineering crew on the normandy. Even if we the player have knowledge of what Javik will do with that pain, commander Shepard does not. And Javik's burden is greater than Kasumi or Cortez. I do wish we had the ability to find some medium ground that allows us the in character benefit of the echo shard's knowledge, but we don't.
But what about Maelon's data? It was acquired through unethical means, yet keeping it will save Eve's life. Without knowing that, I would've chosen to destroy it. Would you?
@@nicholasemjohnson47 I wouldn't but I wouldn't because I'd want to rub the noses of the Salarian government in it. I view the genophage as patently unjust. The fact that Maelon's sense of guilt drove him to unjust experiments and desperate ashamed Krogan to their deaths is reason enough to hold the incident up, headbutt both sides and say "you know how fucked up you both are?! Wrex, the vast majority of Krogan are unrepentant for the rebellions even though THEY started it. Delatrass your people expected the Krogan to behave like Salarians, instead of handling this in a way that gave the Krogan an outlet for change your people left them to ROT. No I don't want that "they can't control their urges" crap. Krogan can choose to do violence. I've seen them make that choice. You can't convince me they're animals. "Now this could have been handled in a way that made completely curing the genophage unnecessary if you'd allowed controlled breeding of the Krogan as a reward for things like getting an education, starting a business, cleaning the environment. Your people didn't do that. "And Wrex whatever gloating you're about to do STOP and listen to what you're about to say. I've seen council records of what happened, you saw them too, you know the sense of entitlement the then Clanchief felt he had. That and holding everyone to Krogan standards of toughness is what got you into this mess in the first place. If this is going to continue, the Krogan need to develop their economy, develop other industries besides war, and start sending their kids to colleges instead of merc training camps. You've seen it, you know its true, you know your people's behavior has to change." "Now both of you STOP FIGHTING. You're giving me a god damned headache."
So, TL:DR, let him see it and he will loose hope and eventually commit suicide, don’t let him see it and he will end up hopeful for the future. Sooo... don’t let him see the shard. :)
I only wish the "Dont View" ending also showed Javik passing the shard to another. Those memories and that shard's function should continue on even if Javik shouldn't open those old wounds.
I actually like the scenario where Javik views the echo shard, and chooses to end his life after visiting the graves of his friends. In my opinion, it's not so much about killing himself, as it is about Javik being stuck in a cycle he does not understand, with species that don't understand him, where he will always be seen as a pariah or cautionary tale, and where he has no real connection to anyone or anything. His people, his culture, his way of life is gone. Javik wants to go back to his friends and his people, to a time where he felt like he belonged. His mission, and his purpose, is over. To get vengeance and closure for his people, and more personally for Javik, closure for his friends. It's a good ending for a character that was far more complex than initially thought to be. That being said, the other alternative is also a fitting end, as well. Both are good options, and I understand the reasoning for both.
@@LenoViburnum Selfcest is still incest. With just Javik alone there's not enough genetic diversity to restart the species, unless they have a way of introducing it artificially in the Mass Effect universe.
@@ausaskar While all entirely true, genetics can be modified and altered as evidenced with irl bioengineering. With how far into the future Mass Effect is, wouldn't they be able to create a new Prothean?
@@LenoViburnum No, because the problem of genetic diversity is mentioned in-universe by the Protheans themselves and they were infinitely more advanced than the current cycle.
Yes, Javik saw witnessed nothing but war since he was born, so living a peaceful life after the Reapers are defeated would truly conclude his character-arc.
The problem here is knowing the future. The main reason I'd advise against it is because we 'know' the result/outcome. We have to make decisions in the moment. At the moment of the shard, I lean towards viewing it. Winning is not worth it if we forget who we are, as we all must die anyway. It's what we remember and pass on that counts. It's different for Kasumi and Cortez. You encourage Cortez to 'move on' but not at the cost of forgetting his husband. For Kasumi delete the box as it was Keiji's last wish and tied to sensitive data. (P.S. Keiji most likely knew Kasumi well enough that she would end up plugged in, which is why he tied his memories to sensitive data to have help her delete them after a final viewing where he got to say goodbye).
Like javik says, "it contains only pain" that alone is the warning sign that if he does watch it, he'll realise that he has nothing left to live for, and contemplates suicide during the final mission on earth
Too bad you can’t just have Javik donate a sample of his DNA and have it bioengineered to the diversity and strength to make more of his race. Imagine Javik going around with his proling horde spreading the will and law of Javik, starting with the Hanar home world. The prothean umpire may rise again with Javik as its ruler. 😆
The part of this that gets me is imagining Shepard being is Javiks position. Normandy is captured and Shepard manages to escape, only for his old crew to be indoctrinated by the reapers and turning on you. Then to have fight through the ship hunting down all your crew, Garrus, Liara, Joker etc. And finally having to kill Tali. If they actually put that in the game I'm not sure I would be able to play it more that once.
It's about naivety, it's the weakness of Paragon Shep... As I have gotten older and experienced more, I have experienced more pain as well. Not going to lie to you, there are some things I WISH I could forget. For I know I would be better off. But my younger self would have said "remember regardless," where my now old self says "somethings are worth forgetting." To be fair, Renegade Shep's weakness is also his strength: Harsh bluntness, but if your are not wise... It quickly crosses over to wastefulness and cruelty.
Can you perhaps make a video about the decission to redesign the Protheans between ME1 and ME2? In ME1 they are clearly these tentacle guys - as proven by the visions and the statues on Ilos. However in ME2 the developers suddenly said, "Nah, they should look like this instead...". Maybe you can access some sources that would justify the decision? They then tried to explain that through the introduction of "Inusannon" but it all sounds quite weird. Also in the Kasumi mission the Inusannon Statue is labeled as "Prothean Statue".
I believe a way cooler design decision would be to utilize the tentacles as some kind of Prothean environmental or EVA suit and show it in Javik's memories. This way they could use the best of both worlds - have a surprise effect connecting the Collectors with Protheans and also be consistent with ME1 legacy.
I always took the tentacley visions in ME1 as the reapers, and the images of both them and Protheans mangles so Shep could never fully distinguish one from the other or see what they look like, but got a that's who they were. I got that because in the final vision Liara helps him unlock it zooms out to show something similar to Sovereign and the reapers from later games. The statue i always thought was made BY Protheans, not OF Protheans. 🤔
In the story, it is assumed those statues were made by the Protheans. We know what the Protheans may have looked like if we observe the Collectors, but most people believe the Collectors to only be myth, and it's only when the squad inspect a "derelict" collector ship that they find evidence that the two races are apparented. At least, that's how it can be explained in the story. I understand if people prefered the Prothean design from ME 1.
@@acousticmonkey2209 It's definitely true with the meaty-mess-computer-chips scenes, but with the Prothean/Inusannon scene it probably wasn't the case. If it was also a depiction of a vague synth-bio-fusion we wouldn't also have the statues on Ilos. Also in the "Art Of The Mass Effect Universe" book they explain, that: "The Prothean statues on Ilos in the original Mass Effect were visually ambiguous, because we were never sure how much of the Protheans we would show over the course of the trilogy. By the time Mass Effect 3 came around, we knew that the Collectors were Prothean victims of the Reapers. The look of the Collectors influenced how we created the Prothean squad member".
@@bzqp2 See i haven't gone into it more than playing the games, so I just assumed it was deliberately meant to be a mess of images so you never knew what the Protheans looked like. That's interesting though.
I didnt know this had 2 outcomes. I always had him view it. I saw him as a soldier and thought it would light a fire in him. And his ending dialogue i always found honorable. Next time ill definitely spare him the memories.
I think I make two different endings for Javik too. With both of my Paragon Shepards. One of them will let him to touch the Echo Shard. And one of them will not.
Memories are good, even some of the bad ones but some memories can be so horrible that it's best to bury it deep and never think about it again. Case here with Javik.
Nah, instead of watching their memories, she spends that time rebuilding the box and the only thing she does is finding what secrets the alliance have. I can't say much more because i always tell her to destroy it because it's what Keiji would want for her and i don't know what happens when you let her keep the box
@@creaturerx6087 If she keeps it she spends her time basically just reliving the past instead of making her move on if you destroy it. There isn't much consequential difference to it for me. I think her destroying it is technically the more healthy choice similar to Javik. People have to move on.
The way I see it, Javik mercy-killing his indoctrinated crew was so mentally traumatizing that he used Prothean tech to erase the details of that event or transfer said details to the memory shard. Which *kinda* makes sense, because if Javik is encouraged to not view the memory shard he only remembers that he had to kill his crew without any details about said event. So if you encourage him to relive those events by viewing the memory shard, all the trauma comes crashing back and just leaves him a broken shell (hence why he's more jovial about his post-Reaper plans when told to not view the memory shard) again.
I don’t think his suicide is truly a fitting end. While Javik will always struggle with feeling out of place, you see him start to bond with the crew in his own prickly way and get more comfortable as he adjusts. He admits to liking Garrus, and you can find the two chatting. By the end he can truly respect Liara, even if he’s all tsundere about it. He’s even had some sweet conversations with EDI where she shows concern for him. His time as Vengence is over, and as Shepard said in one conversation, he’s ‘free’ now. He’s expressed regret he never got to know that freedom and this gives him a chance to finally live and make new family. This is the first time in his life he won’t have to be in pain and fear and I think it’s more fitting for him to finally live that dream, as bittersweet as it is.
I hear you... but for some reason I feel Kasumi's thing is a little different. I feel she needs to box to help move on... BUT since the reapers are coming, may as well use it to make her peace and brace for the end LOL. I think if everything survives after the Reapers, she will be able to move on. Her dude was taken from her suddenly... I feel this is how she is getting over him. Javik's people died a long long time ago... and even though it was "yesterday" to him.... Javik is just built differently. And he lost his guys in war. Great Video dude... you gave me a lot to think about when I start my Legendary Edition run :)
I choose Jarvik using the shard. Shepard then inherits it. Knowledge of Prothean history, knowledge and history can be passed along. Along with every race that survived this cycle.
The difference between Cortez and Kasumi VS Javik is They have memories and people They’re in their cycle in their time they understand the world who they are and what can come next Unlike Javik who doesn’t have his memories he’s just someone stuck somewhere he shouldn’t be his species is dead he has no purpose after the reapers
Whenever I played Mass Effect 3 - before my PS3 stopped working over a year or 2 ago: I always picked the 2nd option. I understand why he'd probably want to see his former comrades-in-arms one more time, but I feel like he still had a lot more to contribute to the galaxy...especially with that book of his with Liara. It's silly, I know, but he should be allowed to continue to live out his own life and expense life after the reapers, even if the Prothean's will never come back. Does that make sense at all?
Huh, my ME3 must have glitched because I just finished a playthrough where I told him to use the memory shard but he still told me that he was going to write the book with Liara, not end himself...
@@bzqp2 it was a mostly renegade Shep that took the paragon choices for all the big decisions (rachni, council, genophage, etc). And I had basically maxed out the war assets score barring DLC other than Javik himself.
I think it happened to me too. I'm not sure about all of my choices, but I'm pretty sure he touched the shard AND told me he was going to write a book.
I'm kinda surprised that nobody thought about the idea of Javik continuing the Prothean line by taking an Asari as a mate? Sure the children would be Asari, but he would have contributed Prothean DNA to their race....
Telling him to view it always seemed like the right thing to do because it looked like he wouldn't stop dwelling on it if he didn't. Glad telling him to leave it alone turns out to be the best thing to do. I think the only one that seems to be okay with dwelling on the past is Kasumi because destroying the greybox just causes her to constantly try to fix it. Aside from her, everyone else definitely need to move on.
I don't know if multiplayer is cannon or not but I wish Javik would have a conversation with the Collector from multiplayer, that collector would be the closest thing to a Prothean left in the galaxy and for the Collector, Javik would be a cruel reminder of how they once looked.
I was happy I made the right choice (in my first ME3 run) to dissuade Javik from looking at the Shard. I actually learned that lesson from Samara's Loyalty Mission. It was supposed to be a Paragon thing to ask her how she felt after killing Morinth, and that only served to hurt her more. Dude, the damage is done. If it didn't work with Samara losing a daughter in the worst way, it wouldn't work with Javik who lost everything.
God, I didn't know me and Javik had so much in common. That whole thing about pain remembering what you lost thing, it's true. It's okay to remember, but emotional scars and wounds are often hard to tell apart: You might wanna trace a scar to remember, only to find you tore open a wound instead.
Almost 10k subs! I have a recommendation, what if you make a video about different classes and backstories and how it affects mass effect, I’m 100% new players will find it interesting when ME legendary comes out. Keep it up the good work!
I think Javik dying is the natural conclusion to his character arc. I mean, he exists only to fight the Reapers, and once this is done he can rest easy knowing all the sacrifice was not in vain. And even though it is sad, in the ending where he dies he faces his demons and arguably wins in a sense. But I will admit I love me a sort of bittersweet story, but not everyone likes that. To each their own. In any case, I thought Javik was a fun character. Great video too.
His choice should've been tied to your paragon/renegade levels. A paragon gives him hope even though he hides it. Writes the book, or searches for other protheans A renegade run lets that negative energy fester. Kills himself, or finds a reason to keep killing. We then get 5 different dialogs depending on whether he views the shard, and Shepards paragon/renegade levels. Neutral Java goes and lives like a king
I had a choice for this???? I didn't even know! Now I feel bad for letting him see it. No wonder he wanted to commit suicide at the end, had no idea i could've prevented it or it was linked to the damn shard.
It’s not really a bad thing. Depending on how you view it. Javik has nobody left, the protheans are gone. None of us can truly understand the pain of being the last of your kind. Letting Javik kill himself seems like putting a spirit to rest
When i played this game in my early 20s i chose for him to yse the shard. Now my 30s my first thought was for him to leave it alone. Im looking forward to playing this game again with more life under life and cynicism under my belt...
Thanks for sharing this Dan! 👍 I always went with telling Javik to leave the shard as it is, so it was good to see the other outcomes as well. Keep it up 👍😁
I think Doctor Who said it best, regarding one's past and memories. "We all change, when you think about it. We're all different people all throughout our lives and that's good you gotta keep moving, so long as you remember all the people that you used to be" In that sense I dont like the idea of Kasumi keeping the greybox. What O get from that choice is a very black and white outcome. Either you keep and remain stuck in the past. Or you destroy it and disregard the past entirely. Admittedly that's just my interpretation, and only applies to Kasumi.
I think it would be cool if in the next mass effect the council has allowed javik to clone himself as a way to ensure the continuation of the prothean species and maybe throw in a bit of genetic modification here and there to create female protheans and genetically distinctive individuals and presto you have successfully recreated the prothean species or they could do something with the rouge collectors using javik’s dna to turn them into regular protheans
The first option is darkly beautiful. On one hand, yes, he's going to kill himself. But on the other, he's going to finally put those ghosts to rest. The memories, the pain, all of it. He has lost a lot in his time, and once his mission is complete, there really is nothing for him out there. If you were the last human left in an alien galaxy that doesn't understand you, wouldn't you want to return to your people? Even in a metaphorical sense. Even if you don't believe in an afterlife. Joining them in death would bring peace to their memory, and yours. I think the first option is fitting for his character.
Destroying the shard would help with the healing process. Speaking from experience. However can't stress enough. Everyone deals with grief differently. Me personally. I don't want alot of stuff to remind me of all the friends I lost over the years. I get reminded on a daily basis with life already. I don't want to add to the pain of that. We honor our loved ones keeping their memories alive. And with the actions we take or do on a day to day basis. Kindness goes alot way and life wisdom. Life is honestly hard enough already. Why make it worse? Why add to the pain? Let old ghosts rest is a powerful qoute. One cannot move on and heal if always stuck in the past.
this scene takes place after Priority: Horizon? I'm playing Mass Effect for a 2nd time, but never got this the first playthrough. thanks for the info as usual
First playthrough, I convinced him to see it. It was the paragon choice and I figured it would help him. Then he did it and I was confused why it was the paragon choice because we just triggered a traumatic flashback.
Anybody else remember how there was ANOTHER remaining survivor of a species? I forget the name, but you hear about it on the news in game, so it’s really easy to miss. The exact details are a little muddy and it’s never expanded upon. I think it was able to escape a dying world which was about to be destroyed by a supernova or something, and the carrier it escaped in was intercepted by an Alliance ship.
@@MrBobthened No, not the rachni. It was a more sapient species. It’s very easy to kiss, I think it was mentioned on one of the news broadcasts in-game.
Hey, I dont mean to contradict you....but technically Javik wasnt the only surviving prothean after the reaper war. A group of prothean scientists survived too, but they ended up dying on the citadel altering the Keepers. It's a technicality...
I like to think that if you tell him no initially, perhaps he views it some time after the war, when he has developed friends and a life he isn't so ready to leave. This hits home because I lost one of the most important people in my life, and almost immediately I began to forget her. I know now that it was a defense mechanism. Whenever I try listening to recordings or looking at pictures of her and try to remember, I'm completely overcome with grief until my brain hides the memories away and I forget again. Even still, someday, when I'm in a better place in life and have the time/money for therapy, I want to remember her completely. I'd never want to discard all of my old mementos of her, even if they bring me too much pain to utilize in the present.
Not all of us are the same. I read a comment saying "The road to hell is paved by good intentions" or however the quote goes in response to how can this be a paragon promt. Its quite right. Comander shepard can handle it. Others cannot. Personally i like to believe that if we were as strong willed as shepard and in javiks situation we still would do the same as Javik. But not because of trauma - i Personally would just like to see what i fought for one last time in perfect memory no matter how bad it is. To rember the ones who died to make it possible. I would join the dead as a "mission fulfilled, my time was 50 thousand years ago - time to rest"
Not to get to personal but I recently lost 5 of my friends in a terrible helicopter accident. During a time where I was mourn, this scene came to my mind. I related to Javik in a way. But then the question just lingered on in my mind. If it was possible, would I choose to revisit the memories of my friends? The good times we share and the pain of loosing them again. Or just keep them away and move on. To this day I still don’t know.
Imagine my surprise when he told me he was gonna unalive himself afterwards…I thought viewing the shard would help…guess I’m replying ME3 for the 5th time 😅
Revenge is a Fool's game that should never be played. I can understand the desire to curse your enemies to Hell but Revenge is a double edged sword. Even people with the noblest of intentions are susceptible to its evil corrupting power. Once you've been poisoned you can easily become the very thing you despise. It's too late for Javik and the Protheans but hopefully my advice can in some way help people in this situation. Remember love thy neighbor and offer them the other cheek if they strike you.
Do not let him view the shard, it's a depressing end. Let him write a book so we can read it in the codex in the next game.
The title should be "In my cycle" and for the second book I guess "Through the airlock".
@@filippoghisoni6569 My vote is for "Javik Prothean and the Echoey Shard"; get the kids in at the ground level...
He might even survive in the next game! How long do Protheans live?
I'd like a copy of "The Adventures of Prothy the Prothean"
The bottom dialogue option (usually the Renegade option) is actually more positive in this case.
Javik- I can't rest until every reaper is dead
Shepard- chooses control/synthesis ending
Javik- For F*ck sake
Thought of the same xD. That shit would be hillarious.
Javik wanted one thing in life.
Nor Javik nor Illusive man where correct.
The reapers have the minds and souls of all the past civilisations, they live inside a reaper in a virtual world.
To destroy them is to destroy all the harvested civilisations.
Synthesis was the right choice, it is the lesser evil.
Sythesis also also dumb bonkers nonsense that is too silly to exist
@@lordrefrigeratorintercoole288 so instred of "die robots" i can scream: "Blood for the blood gods, skulls for the skull throne"?
"Stand amongst the ashes of a trillion dead souls, and ask the ghosts if honor matters. The silence is your answer."
That is still the rawest fucking line in fiction I have come across.
I wanted him to see what his cycle was like BEFORE the reapers, he was born when the war was already being fought. While I want him to move on after the final battle, I also don't want him to close himself off from experiencing the good parts of his people's history.
hello big dan when your channel explodes in May you will become the biggest rpg channel ever made and it will be glorious
Not to open 50.000 old wounds is definitly the better option. It's weird enough to have a 50.000 Years old Prothean as Squad member. (If you bought the Day 1 Dlc . Its sad he was chance to a dlc. :-/ )
Should Javik Chew the Floating 5Gum?
He gets different bonuses too.
Both choices are kinda bad in their own way, but thats the problem with paragon/renegade. He SHOULD view it, grief and then find purpose in his own life for the sake of his own evolution and being.
This hard for me as a paragon player, I might have to do 2 renegade options now 😅
Tfw you realize Javik had his own Mass Effect adventure, and he got the ending where everyone except him died.
Except he has to live with it.
He should have done the loyalty missions
@@jacobchinn8593 it is implied he did. He told Shepard that his crew was loyal too.
@@basedkaiser5352 heh, guess he didn't upgrade his ship
That would be an awesome spin off game. A Halo Reach esque Mass Effect game where you play as Javik during the last days of the Prothean Empire. At the beginning of the game things go well for Javik as he and his men win back to back victory against reaper scouting parties. However then the game starts to go south actual reapers arrive and start making planetfall throwing the Prothean military into complete disarray. As each mission progresses more of Javik's squad get killed in action until the last mission is the clip we see during eden prime. When he is fighting off collectors to try and protect the stasis pods
@@troopergio I would love a prothean game
Javik: "What should I do Commander?"
Shepherd: "Heed your own advice. Throw it out the airlock."
That requires touching it tho….
@@televisedpork7993 Wear gloves.
@@televisedpork7993 He has control over whether he wanna probe the shard, just how you get to decide if you wanna put that piece of potato chip in your hand into your mouth. The pull is strong, but the whole process itself ain't automatic.
So, convincing him to reopen old wounds which makes him decide to kill himself is paragon... EXCUSE ME BIOWARE?!
There is a saying. The road to hell is paved with good intentions.
@@zealgaming8161 Ironically, you could also apply that to the creation of the Reapers
@@TheAceAssassin Certainly! And it is a delightfully nihilistic view too! We are all standing on a gigantic mountain of effort of unimaginable scale! A unbroken chain of mothers and daughters spanning millions of years! What is simple platonic ideas such as morality compared to that raw truth?
The reapers with their silly metaphysical nihilism never stood a chance against nature!
Just like Kelly Chambers in ME3 I think.. You must insist her to change her appearance or she'll die when Cerberus attack the Citadel, and it's renegade choice
@@dionmardianto wait wha? shit i just talked to her and saved after that... guess she will die
I see this channel skyrocket when the Legendary Edition comes out
Yeah he already went from 2k to 8 k in a few weeks tho
I Hope so for Dan. I won't be watching His Videos then, because I will be playing the game :D
yep yep keep it up @Big Dan Gaming!
Big facts
I just wish there was more info and gameplay so far it's been like a few second clips of someone walking at best.
Leave it and let him become the God of the Hanar race xD
I agree, but the Hanar lives with the Drell race. Do you think the Drell are able to accept Javik as part of their society?
@@DanielBrongers yes because most dwell worship the "Enkindlers" aka protheans. Like the Hanar do
@@DanielBrongers why would there be issues between the Drell and him?
@@DanielBrongers some drell worship the enkilndlers as well, not all of them, but some
Drell would assassinate him!
Imagine if the Hanar could visit Jamaica. It’s their literal version of Heaven.
that is what the Hanar homeworld is like
This is a brutally tough decision. Cause it feels like you're keeping something from him if you tell him not to. Ultimately, I just like the fact that Javik can live in a Reaperless universe for the first time in his life. Maybe he can grow to appreciate new things. Who knows.
is it just me or does Javik's Memory Shard look like a 5 Gum
Yeah, 5 gum also makes me wanna kill myself
Javik watches all of the his friends and family and entire worlds slaughtered by the reapers: "How it feels to chew 5 gum!"
"how it feels to chew 5gum"
*feels the pain of an enitre civilization*
@@takkarsasori8961 "Stimulate your senses?"
How it feels to chew 5 gum
To be honest, depending how you see Javik, him wanting to commit suicide after the battle would be a quite fitting end for his character. He clearly doesnt fit in, he is technically constantly feeling humiliated by the fact all the primitives are now as evolved as him and his mighty empire is all but ashes now. All things considered, Javik wanting to join his comrads in death after their species is finally avenged feels like a fitting end for him, he will finally be at peace now that the reapers are gone and his "vengence" is complete.
Yep, also find suicide ending more fitting for Javik. Too many happy ending make me puke rainbow.
@@mammozdzierzwdupieMost ME fans tend to forget Shepard's own adage: "No matter how much you try, you cant save them all"
It feels like a fitting end because it's a grim fate for a grim character. He deserves better. He deserves to have a chance to live in a galaxy not being threatened by the Reapers. He's spent his whole life fighting a seemingly unwinnable war. He's earned a happy ending, and if he's not weighed down by re-opening old wounds and reminding himself of everything he's lost, he *takes* that chance to see what peace looks like.
I'll take a happy ending over "Depressing for the sake of depressing". Of course, I'm also in the crowd that wishes there was a more traditional victory possible against the Reapers - even if just a Destroy ending that doesn't sacrifice EDI & the Geth.
@@Blazieth See I'm in both of those camps. I wanted my war assets to systematically beat back the reapers even if meant destroying that held the Galaxy together previously. To me a collapsed Mass Effect universe would be very interesting setting for future games.
just remember the paragon option is the one that causes his suicide
Idk if this is messed up, but I think both outcomes of this are ok in my book. One the one hand, I believe Javik has the right to finally be at peace and join his comrades. On the other hand, having a living prothean contribute something to galactic society/history would benefit everyone, including Javik. That and, when he does die one day, he will be surrounded by those who care about him, being the Crew of the Normandy, and probably a sizable chunk of the Hanar population.
There's nothing wrong about wanting to join his old mates in death, but there's EVERYTHING wrong about wallowing in the pain of the past. If he still wanna join his mates after spending some years knowing what peace is like in a galaxy without the Reapers looming over their heads, sure, go ahead. But killing himself just because he got too caught up in the past to bother seeing what the future has to offer, that's just messed up.
That was a saddening moment before the final battle... I didn't even know it was related to the shard, until I read that in some comment lately.
I think a lot of folks just hear the suicide part and make a decision about the senario without thinking any deeper. It was kinda bittersweet but I saw it as he was at peace and wanted to return to his people. Javiks whole character was about how he was consumed by his fight against the reapers
Better to remind him of what he was and still is, remind him of his own "humanity", than to let him just think that he's a tool for war...to be discarded after everything's done.
@@amuroray34 that’s kinda what I feel like happened. The memories off all he had and all he lost back. I mean when you talk to him during that last fight he’s more sentimental than he’s been the whole game combined. It just felt to me more like putting a ghost to rest
Yes exactly
@Taramafor Haikido so basically you're saying the devs were lazy with Javik? Afterall, he may be a DLC character, but his DLC was released the day ME3 originally released, so for him not to be polished suggests Bioware/EA were lazy with his creation.
Just as they were greedy to release him on day one as DLC, when he is an essential part of the story.
Attempting suicide vs being at peace...
Choose one you idiot you dont get both
I always assumed that Javick could mate with an Asari to keep some part of the Protheans alive in the Milky Way.
Even if none of them ever look like he does, he can still pass along history, tradition, some genotype, and the culture of the Protheans so that they don’t have to die out.
He’s doing that partially with the book, but offspring would be a living legacy.
If there's no javik babies in the next ME, I don't want it
I wonder what effect an Asari that came from a Prothean bond would have.
You know, since some Asari like the vorcha ones tend to be lactose intolerant, and Matriarch Atheyta (Liara's mother) came with some psychological Krogan tendencies.
Cloning can be a first step meanwhile better options can arise......
Javik: Liara's sloppy seconds
Same
To be fair, we don't actually know if Javik goes through with it. He might choose to live after the final battle. Regardless, I still think making him remember should've had a better outcome. What Shepard said was right. The pain _should_ be worth remembering the good. It's like forgetting someone you dearly loved just because they died. Not to mention it implies Javik wasn't able to heal, letting his trauma win. It's kind of a bad message.
I tend to follow the school of "those who do not learn from history are doomed to repeat it" as well as the idea of honoring the past. If past sacrifices are forgotten you do the dead a terrible dishonor. this is most likely why using the echo shard is considered the paragon option (indicated by its position on the dialog wheel.) I also tend to make decisions in mass effect from an in character roleplaying standpoint.
This is why I always let Rana Thanoptis off the hook even knowing that she eventually goes on a killing spree caused by her being indoctrinated. Shepard has no way of knowing whether or not she'll cause issues further down the line. She can only go based on what she sees in front of her, an unarmed enemy scientist who joined because she wanted to help the Krogan and is only really guilty of poor judgement. Said scientist immediately surrendered and has no plans to join the fight later on. A paragon doesn't kill an unarmed enemy that just wants to live.
This is why I let Javik touch the echo shard but encourage Kasumi to let go of Keiji and Cortez to let go of his husband. Javik is the very last prothean, he has a duty to learn from the past in order to prevent history from repeating itself. It's not just about Javik, its about the Protheans who are gone who are depending on him to tell their story and the things that shard can tell us. If there was an option for Commander Shepard to view the contents in Javik's place, or for Javik to place his memories inside the shard so that the knowledge could be used after he's dead, then that's the option I would take. But that option isn't available, and Shepard has no way of knowing that letting Javik view the shard will result in his death.
Kasumi doesn't plan on sharing the contents of that box with anyone, and doesn't have the memory an entire species resting on whether or not she keeps that past alive. Need I remind you that what Keiji found could potentially start a war with Kar'shan, the Batarian homeworld. Kasumi has her own memories of Keiji, in her own mind and heart, she doesn't need that box to honor his memory. And her heart being free will allow her to find a healthy 'after' losing Keiji working on the crucible. Perhaps even going on to become a spy for the Alliance or an informant for the Spectre office.
Cortez similarly only has the burden of responsibility to the squad, he doesn't have knowledge that can help make a better future when the Reapers are gone. He has a skill with piloting and mechanics and the team needs his head in the game. His death is also a forseeable consequence of his not letting go and inability to focus. Kasumi is a sneak thief, she has the time to be introspective if she needs it, to contemplate conflicts like losing Keiji.
But being a pilot is a mentally demanding job, and depression slows your reaction times. You only have to look at real world plane crashes to see how disastrous flying while distracted (called loss of situational awareness by law enforcement, the military and the airline industry) can be. In the end Cortez getting out of the final battle alive could have come down to one second either way and that grief is capable of killing him and potentially the squad he's carrying to battle. Shepard's a soldier, she knows what loss of situational awareness means to a person's survival on the battlefield or above it. And if he didn't let that recording go and had the option to do it, quite honestly I would have relieved him of duty prior to the final battle and made him assist the engineering crew on the normandy.
Even if we the player have knowledge of what Javik will do with that pain, commander Shepard does not. And Javik's burden is greater than Kasumi or Cortez. I do wish we had the ability to find some medium ground that allows us the in character benefit of the echo shard's knowledge, but we don't.
But what about Maelon's data? It was acquired through unethical means, yet keeping it will save Eve's life. Without knowing that, I would've chosen to destroy it. Would you?
@@nicholasemjohnson47 I wouldn't but I wouldn't because I'd want to rub the noses of the Salarian government in it. I view the genophage as patently unjust. The fact that Maelon's sense of guilt drove him to unjust experiments and desperate ashamed Krogan to their deaths is reason enough to hold the incident up, headbutt both sides and say
"you know how fucked up you both are?! Wrex, the vast majority of Krogan are unrepentant for the rebellions even though THEY started it. Delatrass your people expected the Krogan to behave like Salarians, instead of handling this in a way that gave the Krogan an outlet for change your people left them to ROT. No I don't want that "they can't control their urges" crap. Krogan can choose to do violence. I've seen them make that choice. You can't convince me they're animals.
"Now this could have been handled in a way that made completely curing the genophage unnecessary if you'd allowed controlled breeding of the Krogan as a reward for things like getting an education, starting a business, cleaning the environment. Your people didn't do that.
"And Wrex whatever gloating you're about to do STOP and listen to what you're about to say. I've seen council records of what happened, you saw them too, you know the sense of entitlement the then Clanchief felt he had. That and holding everyone to Krogan standards of toughness is what got you into this mess in the first place. If this is going to continue, the Krogan need to develop their economy, develop other industries besides war, and start sending their kids to colleges instead of merc training camps. You've seen it, you know its true, you know your people's behavior has to change."
"Now both of you STOP FIGHTING. You're giving me a god damned headache."
Opening up the shard isn't Him remembering his fallen comrades ,it's him reliving ptsd his pretty big difference.
So, TL:DR, let him see it and he will loose hope and eventually commit suicide, don’t let him see it and he will end up hopeful for the future. Sooo... don’t let him see the shard. :)
Yeah sucks for person doing full paragon playthrough tho
@@johnnyboogalo4897 just because a dialogue option is top right doesn't make it paragon
@@PsyrenXY It counts toward paragon points tho lmao
@@johnnyboogalo4897 No, it gives "+2 Reputation" which counts towards both.
i want him to live with the Hanar.
I only wish the "Dont View" ending also showed Javik passing the shard to another. Those memories and that shard's function should continue on even if Javik shouldn't open those old wounds.
I actually like the scenario where Javik views the echo shard, and chooses to end his life after visiting the graves of his friends. In my opinion, it's not so much about killing himself, as it is about Javik being stuck in a cycle he does not understand, with species that don't understand him, where he will always be seen as a pariah or cautionary tale, and where he has no real connection to anyone or anything. His people, his culture, his way of life is gone. Javik wants to go back to his friends and his people, to a time where he felt like he belonged. His mission, and his purpose, is over. To get vengeance and closure for his people, and more personally for Javik, closure for his friends. It's a good ending for a character that was far more complex than initially thought to be. That being said, the other alternative is also a fitting end, as well. Both are good options, and I understand the reasoning for both.
Id rather he gets cloned
@@MADVILLAIN669
Make the clone female so they can continue the Prothean species
@@LenoViburnum Selfcest is still incest. With just Javik alone there's not enough genetic diversity to restart the species, unless they have a way of introducing it artificially in the Mass Effect universe.
@@ausaskar
While all entirely true, genetics can be modified and altered as evidenced with irl bioengineering.
With how far into the future Mass Effect is, wouldn't they be able to create a new Prothean?
@@LenoViburnum No, because the problem of genetic diversity is mentioned in-universe by the Protheans themselves and they were infinitely more advanced than the current cycle.
Yes, Javik saw witnessed nothing but war since he was born, so living a peaceful life after the Reapers are defeated would truly conclude his character-arc.
I love the scene of Shepard saying "If you can live by it" as he looks at an image of the Normandy.
Big Dan missed the opportunity to put Javik saying he's going to throw someone out of the airlock in the outro
Or better yet. Shepard saying it And Javik's "FINALLY!"
I let him view it. If I lived 50,000 years past the death of my friends and family, I'd destroy the reapers and want to rest forever.
I like that Javik gives Shepard the shard to continue it's legacy only for Shepard to almost immediately activate the crucible and die
It recorded the battle for earth though. That's why he gave it to Shepard.
First play through I let him see it so I could see what it was about. Every other play through, "Man leave that alone!"
The problem here is knowing the future. The main reason I'd advise against it is because we 'know' the result/outcome. We have to make decisions in the moment. At the moment of the shard, I lean towards viewing it.
Winning is not worth it if we forget who we are, as we all must die anyway. It's what we remember and pass on that counts.
It's different for Kasumi and Cortez. You encourage Cortez to 'move on' but not at the cost of forgetting his husband. For Kasumi delete the box as it was Keiji's last wish and tied to sensitive data. (P.S. Keiji most likely knew Kasumi well enough that she would end up plugged in, which is why he tied his memories to sensitive data to have help her delete them after a final viewing where he got to say goodbye).
Like javik says, "it contains only pain" that alone is the warning sign that if he does watch it, he'll realise that he has nothing left to live for, and contemplates suicide during the final mission on earth
Too bad you can’t just have Javik donate a sample of his DNA and have it bioengineered to the diversity and strength to make more of his race. Imagine Javik going around with his proling horde spreading the will and law of Javik, starting with the Hanar home world. The prothean umpire may rise again with Javik as its ruler. 😆
Javik's canon fate is to live as a queen among his men.
But he'll need a king
He will tell you what you want to hear.
I kind of want to see Javik's reaction after the Control or Synthesis endings 🤣
The part of this that gets me is imagining Shepard being is Javiks position. Normandy is captured and Shepard manages to escape, only for his old crew to be indoctrinated by the reapers and turning on you. Then to have fight through the ship hunting down all your crew, Garrus, Liara, Joker etc. And finally having to kill Tali. If they actually put that in the game I'm not sure I would be able to play it more that once.
This is some quality content!
Thanks!
This is life changing video. I never let him to touch that thing again!
It's about naivety, it's the weakness of Paragon Shep... As I have gotten older and experienced more, I have experienced more pain as well. Not going to lie to you, there are some things I WISH I could forget. For I know I would be better off. But my younger self would have said "remember regardless," where my now old self says "somethings are worth forgetting."
To be fair, Renegade Shep's weakness is also his strength: Harsh bluntness, but if your are not wise... It quickly crosses over to wastefulness and cruelty.
Can you perhaps make a video about the decission to redesign the Protheans between ME1 and ME2? In ME1 they are clearly these tentacle guys - as proven by the visions and the statues on Ilos. However in ME2 the developers suddenly said, "Nah, they should look like this instead...". Maybe you can access some sources that would justify the decision? They then tried to explain that through the introduction of "Inusannon" but it all sounds quite weird. Also in the Kasumi mission the Inusannon Statue is labeled as "Prothean Statue".
I believe a way cooler design decision would be to utilize the tentacles as some kind of Prothean environmental or EVA suit and show it in Javik's memories. This way they could use the best of both worlds - have a surprise effect connecting the Collectors with Protheans and also be consistent with ME1 legacy.
I always took the tentacley visions in ME1 as the reapers, and the images of both them and Protheans mangles so Shep could never fully distinguish one from the other or see what they look like, but got a that's who they were. I got that because in the final vision Liara helps him unlock it zooms out to show something similar to Sovereign and the reapers from later games.
The statue i always thought was made BY Protheans, not OF Protheans. 🤔
In the story, it is assumed those statues were made by the Protheans.
We know what the Protheans may have looked like if we observe the Collectors, but most people believe the Collectors to only be myth, and it's only when the squad inspect a "derelict" collector ship that they find evidence that the two races are apparented.
At least, that's how it can be explained in the story. I understand if people prefered the Prothean design from ME 1.
@@acousticmonkey2209 It's definitely true with the meaty-mess-computer-chips scenes, but with the Prothean/Inusannon scene it probably wasn't the case. If it was also a depiction of a vague synth-bio-fusion we wouldn't also have the statues on Ilos. Also in the "Art Of The Mass Effect Universe" book they explain, that: "The Prothean statues on Ilos in the original Mass Effect were visually ambiguous, because we were never sure how much of the Protheans we would show over the course of the trilogy. By the time Mass Effect 3 came around, we knew that the Collectors were Prothean victims of the Reapers. The look of the Collectors influenced how we created the Prothean squad member".
@@bzqp2 See i haven't gone into it more than playing the games, so I just assumed it was deliberately meant to be a mess of images so you never knew what the Protheans looked like. That's interesting though.
Why does Javik have the Normany SR1 on the screen? :o
Pretty sure he was catching up with the galaxy's history and then Shepard's history, I could be wrong but I think he even brings it up at one point
@@goose4781 he does, Javik surprisingly even agrees with Shepard when he says that connections are needed.
What Goose said. He was doing some research on it and talked to Shepard about it at the beginning of the scene
He was playing mass effect 1
@@deadman900th hope he saved Kaiden
Don’t let him see it. There are many parts of my life I’d prefer to forget, so if I had a way to rid myself of those memories I would do so.
I didnt know this had 2 outcomes. I always had him view it. I saw him as a soldier and thought it would light a fire in him. And his ending dialogue i always found honorable. Next time ill definitely spare him the memories.
I think I make two different endings for Javik too. With both of my Paragon Shepards. One of them will let him to touch the Echo Shard. And one of them will not.
Memories are good, even some of the bad ones but some memories can be so horrible that it's best to bury it deep and never think about it again. Case here with Javik.
Now i am curious what happens to Kasumi if i let her destroy the grey box..
@Carlos Chagas forgot the other option. I always picked the paragon keep it option. What was it...?
Nah, instead of watching their memories, she spends that time rebuilding the box and the only thing she does is finding what secrets the alliance have.
I can't say much more because i always tell her to destroy it because it's what Keiji would want for her and i don't know what happens when you let her keep the box
Well hot damn you got your wish
@@admiralwalrus3963 sure did. I should go.
@@creaturerx6087 If she keeps it she spends her time basically just reliving the past instead of making her move on if you destroy it. There isn't much consequential difference to it for me. I think her destroying it is technically the more healthy choice similar to Javik. People have to move on.
The way I see it, Javik mercy-killing his indoctrinated crew was so mentally traumatizing that he used Prothean tech to erase the details of that event or transfer said details to the memory shard. Which *kinda* makes sense, because if Javik is encouraged to not view the memory shard he only remembers that he had to kill his crew without any details about said event.
So if you encourage him to relive those events by viewing the memory shard, all the trauma comes crashing back and just leaves him a broken shell (hence why he's more jovial about his post-Reaper plans when told to not view the memory shard) again.
I didn’t even know this mattered before lmao, quality content my guy
I don’t think his suicide is truly a fitting end. While Javik will always struggle with feeling out of place, you see him start to bond with the crew in his own prickly way and get more comfortable as he adjusts. He admits to liking Garrus, and you can find the two chatting. By the end he can truly respect Liara, even if he’s all tsundere about it. He’s even had some sweet conversations with EDI where she shows concern for him.
His time as Vengence is over, and as Shepard said in one conversation, he’s ‘free’ now. He’s expressed regret he never got to know that freedom and this gives him a chance to finally live and make new family. This is the first time in his life he won’t have to be in pain and fear and I think it’s more fitting for him to finally live that dream, as bittersweet as it is.
I hear you... but for some reason I feel Kasumi's thing is a little different. I feel she needs to box to help move on... BUT since the reapers are coming, may as well use it to make her peace and brace for the end LOL. I think if everything survives after the Reapers, she will be able to move on. Her dude was taken from her suddenly... I feel this is how she is getting over him. Javik's people died a long long time ago... and even though it was "yesterday" to him.... Javik is just built differently. And he lost his guys in war. Great Video dude... you gave me a lot to think about when I start my Legendary Edition run :)
I choose Jarvik using the shard.
Shepard then inherits it.
Knowledge of Prothean history, knowledge and history can be passed along.
Along with every race that survived this cycle.
The difference between Cortez and Kasumi VS Javik is
They have memories and people
They’re in their cycle in their time they understand the world who they are and what can come next
Unlike Javik who doesn’t have his memories he’s just someone stuck somewhere he shouldn’t be his species is dead he has no purpose after the reapers
Keep up the ME content, it’s getting me through the wait for the remaster release😂
Whenever I played Mass Effect 3 - before my PS3 stopped working over a year or 2 ago: I always picked the 2nd option. I understand why he'd probably want to see his former comrades-in-arms one more time, but I feel like he still had a lot more to contribute to the galaxy...especially with that book of his with Liara. It's silly, I know, but he should be allowed to continue to live out his own life and expense life after the reapers, even if the Prothean's will never come back. Does that make sense at all?
Huh, my ME3 must have glitched because I just finished a playthrough where I told him to use the memory shard but he still told me that he was going to write the book with Liara, not end himself...
Huh! Weird! Did anyone else encounter this? Perhaps it's also connected somehow to the war effort or the paragon points somehow?
@@bzqp2 it was a mostly renegade Shep that took the paragon choices for all the big decisions (rachni, council, genophage, etc).
And I had basically maxed out the war assets score barring DLC other than Javik himself.
I think it happened to me too. I'm not sure about all of my choices, but I'm pretty sure he touched the shard AND told me he was going to write a book.
@@PedroPLish maybe it just requires a very particular set of parameters if you do chose to have him touch the shard?
I had the same thing happen in my OG playthrough before Legendary came out... huh
How it feels to chew 5 gum
*has living prothean and cloning tech, doesn’t think to clone protheans*
Matter breaks down over time which is why most clones become degenerative
I'm kinda surprised that nobody thought about the idea of Javik continuing the Prothean line by taking an Asari as a mate? Sure the children would be Asari, but he would have contributed Prothean DNA to their race....
He would probably say it's irrelevant.
Viewing the shard is a reason to fight, but not a reason to live
Telling him to view it always seemed like the right thing to do because it looked like he wouldn't stop dwelling on it if he didn't. Glad telling him to leave it alone turns out to be the best thing to do.
I think the only one that seems to be okay with dwelling on the past is Kasumi because destroying the greybox just causes her to constantly try to fix it. Aside from her, everyone else definitely need to move on.
I didn’t know how the lore in ME can be huge!! Thank you for your awesome work and keep doing it!
I don't know if multiplayer is cannon or not but I wish Javik would have a conversation with the Collector from multiplayer, that collector would be the closest thing to a Prothean left in the galaxy and for the Collector, Javik would be a cruel reminder of how they once looked.
But but but mah paragon choice ☹
I was happy I made the right choice (in my first ME3 run) to dissuade Javik from looking at the Shard. I actually learned that lesson from Samara's Loyalty Mission. It was supposed to be a Paragon thing to ask her how she felt after killing Morinth, and that only served to hurt her more. Dude, the damage is done. If it didn't work with Samara losing a daughter in the worst way, it wouldn't work with Javik who lost everything.
I've always had him read it, but now that I've seen your video, well, I'll be changing that in the next play-through! Thanks for the insight, Big Dan!
God, I didn't know me and Javik had so much in common. That whole thing about pain remembering what you lost thing, it's true.
It's okay to remember, but emotional scars and wounds are often hard to tell apart: You might wanna trace a scar to remember, only to find you tore open a wound instead.
Almost 10k subs!
I have a recommendation, what if you make a video about different classes and backstories and how it affects mass effect, I’m 100% new players will find it interesting when ME legendary comes out.
Keep it up the good work!
I think Javik dying is the natural conclusion to his character arc. I mean, he exists only to fight the Reapers, and once this is done he can rest easy knowing all the sacrifice was not in vain. And even though it is sad, in the ending where he dies he faces his demons and arguably wins in a sense. But I will admit I love me a sort of bittersweet story, but not everyone likes that. To each their own. In any case, I thought Javik was a fun character. Great video too.
Oh yeah Big Dan I have a question, why on eden prime Javik Don't use any helmet at all, even in no oxygen place he seem fine 😂🤣😂 ?
the legendary edition remaster is pure perfection
No. It contains only pain.
His choice should've been tied to your paragon/renegade levels.
A paragon gives him hope even though he hides it. Writes the book, or searches for other protheans
A renegade run lets that negative energy fester. Kills himself, or finds a reason to keep killing.
We then get 5 different dialogs depending on whether he views the shard, and Shepards paragon/renegade levels.
Neutral Java goes and lives like a king
loving the extra story analysis offered here! loving this channel in general. Keep it up!
I had a choice for this???? I didn't even know!
Now I feel bad for letting him see it. No wonder he wanted to commit suicide at the end, had no idea i could've prevented it or it was linked to the damn shard.
It’s not really a bad thing. Depending on how you view it. Javik has nobody left, the protheans are gone. None of us can truly understand the pain of being the last of your kind. Letting Javik kill himself seems like putting a spirit to rest
When i played this game in my early 20s i chose for him to yse the shard. Now my 30s my first thought was for him to leave it alone. Im looking forward to playing this game again with more life under life and cynicism under my belt...
Thanks for sharing this Dan! 👍 I always went with telling Javik to leave the shard as it is, so it was good to see the other outcomes as well. Keep it up 👍😁
I think Doctor Who said it best, regarding one's past and memories.
"We all change, when you think about it. We're all different people all throughout our lives and that's good you gotta keep moving, so long as you remember all the people that you used to be"
In that sense I dont like the idea of Kasumi keeping the greybox. What O get from that choice is a very black and white outcome. Either you keep and remain stuck in the past. Or you destroy it and disregard the past entirely.
Admittedly that's just my interpretation, and only applies to Kasumi.
I think it would be cool if in the next mass effect the council has allowed javik to clone himself as a way to ensure the continuation of the prothean species and maybe throw in a bit of genetic modification here and there to create female protheans and genetically distinctive individuals and presto you have successfully recreated the prothean species or they could do something with the rouge collectors using javik’s dna to turn them into regular protheans
It's been a while since I've looked at this game, but Javik was a DLC character, right? 🤔
Yes
The first option is darkly beautiful. On one hand, yes, he's going to kill himself. But on the other, he's going to finally put those ghosts to rest. The memories, the pain, all of it. He has lost a lot in his time, and once his mission is complete, there really is nothing for him out there. If you were the last human left in an alien galaxy that doesn't understand you, wouldn't you want to return to your people? Even in a metaphorical sense. Even if you don't believe in an afterlife. Joining them in death would bring peace to their memory, and yours. I think the first option is fitting for his character.
Destroying the shard would help with the healing process. Speaking from experience. However can't stress enough. Everyone deals with grief differently. Me personally. I don't want alot of stuff to remind me of all the friends I lost over the years. I get reminded on a daily basis with life already. I don't want to add to the pain of that. We honor our loved ones keeping their memories alive. And with the actions we take or do on a day to day basis. Kindness goes alot way and life wisdom. Life is honestly hard enough already. Why make it worse? Why add to the pain? Let old ghosts rest is a powerful qoute. One cannot move on and heal if always stuck in the past.
this scene takes place after Priority: Horizon? I'm playing Mass Effect for a 2nd time, but never got this the first playthrough. thanks for the info as usual
A small detail when he stopped himself from saying asari to saying Liara's real name makes me happy
First playthrough, I convinced him to see it. It was the paragon choice and I figured it would help him. Then he did it and I was confused why it was the paragon choice because we just triggered a traumatic flashback.
Anybody else remember how there was ANOTHER remaining survivor of a species? I forget the name, but you hear about it on the news in game, so it’s really easy to miss. The exact details are a little muddy and it’s never expanded upon. I think it was able to escape a dying world which was about to be destroyed by a supernova or something, and the carrier it escaped in was intercepted by an Alliance ship.
played the games many times never heard it searched gogle cant find anything like that so no dont think so
Are you talking about the Rachni?
@@MrBobthened No, not the rachni. It was a more sapient species. It’s very easy to kiss, I think it was mentioned on one of the news broadcasts in-game.
@@michaekrynicki8330 well based on the likes of my comment, I think other people remember it too lkk
@@michaekrynicki8330 m.ua-cam.com/video/aweKq4ON15Y/v-deo.html
Hey, I dont mean to contradict you....but technically Javik wasnt the only surviving prothean after the reaper war. A group of prothean scientists survived too, but they ended up dying on the citadel altering the Keepers. It's a technicality...
I didn’t even know I fucked up by doing this. GOD I FEEL SO FUCKING STUPID NOW😡. I thought when Javik said he was gonna commit suicide it was canon.
I like to think that if you tell him no initially, perhaps he views it some time after the war, when he has developed friends and a life he isn't so ready to leave.
This hits home because I lost one of the most important people in my life, and almost immediately I began to forget her. I know now that it was a defense mechanism. Whenever I try listening to recordings or looking at pictures of her and try to remember, I'm completely overcome with grief until my brain hides the memories away and I forget again.
Even still, someday, when I'm in a better place in life and have the time/money for therapy, I want to remember her completely. I'd never want to discard all of my old mementos of her, even if they bring me too much pain to utilize in the present.
Nice choice of words.... "believed to be the only surviving prothean..." My question is, do you know something we don't know? #NextMassEffect???
I didn't played the DLC of ME3. This time I can finally play thru the full story.
Not all of us are the same.
I read a comment saying "The road to hell is paved by good intentions" or however the quote goes in response to how can this be a paragon promt.
Its quite right. Comander shepard can handle it. Others cannot.
Personally i like to believe that if we were as strong willed as shepard and in javiks situation we still would do the same as Javik. But not because of trauma - i Personally would just like to see what i fought for one last time in perfect memory no matter how bad it is. To rember the ones who died to make it possible. I would join the dead as a "mission fulfilled, my time was 50 thousand years ago - time to rest"
Not to get to personal but I recently lost 5 of my friends in a terrible helicopter accident. During a time where I was mourn, this scene came to my mind. I related to Javik in a way. But then the question just lingered on in my mind.
If it was possible, would I choose to revisit the memories of my friends? The good times we share and the pain of loosing them again. Or just keep them away and move on. To this day I still don’t know.
The fact Javik was locked behind a preorder back in the day was some classic evil EA shit
Imagine my surprise when he told me he was gonna unalive himself afterwards…I thought viewing the shard would help…guess I’m replying ME3 for the 5th time 😅
TL;DR
Should you encourage Javik to experience how it feels to chew 5 Gum.
Stimulate his senses.
Revenge is a Fool's game that should never be played. I can understand the desire to curse your enemies to Hell but Revenge is a double edged sword. Even people with the noblest of intentions are susceptible to its evil corrupting power. Once you've been poisoned you can easily become the very thing you despise. It's too late for Javik and the Protheans but hopefully my advice can in some way help people in this situation. Remember love thy neighbor and offer them the other cheek if they strike you.