What if a 'Mass Effect' TV series were made?

Discussion in 'Science Fiction & Fantasy' started by jefferiestubes8, Apr 3, 2012.

  1. superdeluxe

    superdeluxe Captain Captain

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    Yes it can, which is the glory of the video game medium
     
  2. TrueBlueMug

    TrueBlueMug Ensign Red Shirt

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    Getting back topic a bit, I tend to think that the idea of Mass Effect movie is going to be disaster. Three 40+ hour video games don't scream 2.5 hour movie adaptations, unless it was a very long series movies.

    A tv series, on the other hand, really could work well. The material really suits long form storytelling. In any event, the way Game of Thrones has been handled by HBO is definitely the way to go. The question is whether or not a network could handle the budget for such a show and the answer is probably no... unfortunately.
     
  3. superdeluxe

    superdeluxe Captain Captain

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    Would viewers get invested in a series where they know
    It all blows up in the end? (sort of)
     
  4. superdeluxe

    superdeluxe Captain Captain

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    I believe there is enough background info, that you can expand it into something more
     
  5. Trubinator

    Trubinator Rear Admiral Rear Admiral

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    I think the Mass Effect series would be better served as a miniseries. But as other posters have noted the budget would be astronomical.
     
  6. bullethead

    bullethead Fleet Captain Fleet Captain

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    That's why any serious attempt at a Mass Effect series or minseries is better off being an animated work, because it would lower the budget requirements (plus being easier to work with).
     
  7. clint g

    clint g Admiral Admiral

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    And it looks like it's going to happen

    http://www.gametrailers.com/side-mi...extended-cut-announced-addresses-game-ending/
     
  8. superdeluxe

    superdeluxe Captain Captain

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    Yeah but that is not a retcon, it appears to be just them adding some additional scenes to the ending, and perhaps a epilogue.
     
  9. clint g

    clint g Admiral Admiral

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    It sort of is, since


    as things stand all galactic civilization has been wiped out. If Earth (or any of the other planets) survive the detonation of the Mass Relay in any way, shape, or form in the epilogue then things have changed from the way the game originally ended
     
  10. Trubinator

    Trubinator Rear Admiral Rear Admiral

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    This post incorrectly summarizes the ending. Depending on the player's choice, the majority of galactic civilization can indeed be saved. There are, however, a few key areas that can be utterly wiped out.
     
  11. superdeluxe

    superdeluxe Captain Captain

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    Oh I never thought that
    I didn't think the star systems exploded, I thought everyone was just going to be stranded, some races will die becaue they don't have access to their foodstuffs, other races will not be able to go home because the loss of the mass relays
     
  12. clint g

    clint g Admiral Admiral

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    Not sure what you're getting at....


    It's stated clearly in ME The Arrival DLC and in ME3 that the detonation of a Mass Relay wipes out the solar system that the relay is in. That means Thessia, Palaven, Earth, etc have been wiped out. That's a very sizable chunk of galactic civilization. It's what did the Batarians in (again, mentioned several times in ME3). If these locations survive in any way in this new DLC, it is a recon.
     
  13. -Brett-

    -Brett- Vice Admiral Admiral

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    That bit of broken lore is one of the reasons why the ending is terrible.
     
  14. Temis the Vorta

    Temis the Vorta Fleet Admiral Admiral

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    Once upon a time, Star Trek's survival did depend on being sell-able in a 20 sec ad (or maybe longer, I don't know how long ads were in the 1960s). If the ad for the first episode hadn't attracted enough viewers, it would have been all over right then and there. And the show got the greenlight even more simply (and when you think about it, incorrectly): Wagon Train to the Stars.

    If you mean that Mass Effect has so much baggage that it can't be summarized coherently, then there's your first task: pare away enough baggage to make it sell-able in a 20 sec ad, not to mention ensuring that the series itself doesn't get dragged in fifteen different directions. For instance, "how far will you go to save you're species?" sounds like something you could build a show around pretty nicely. Start there, and keep or toss elements based on whether they fit that theme.

    aelius' idea could also work (not necessarily incompatible with "how far will you go to save you're species?") -

    That provides both episodic stories (conspiracies etc) and an ongoing arc (why did that guy become a traitor)? Two questions: aren't commandos supposed to be doing more war-type missions in addition to what sounds like police investigations, and does everyone know the official is a traitor? And if it's well known, why does it matter why he's a traitor? Just hunt him down and kill him!

    From TheGodBen's comments, it does sound like the story has waaaay too much stuff in it for a TV series anyway:

    I'd start with two or three races fighting, max. Weave the others into the story judiciously. Focus on one motive per species, don't try to cram everything in there. Complexity is good, but needs to be paced (and it's a good way to make sure the story doesn't run out of material, too).
     
    Last edited: Apr 6, 2012
  15. bullethead

    bullethead Fleet Captain Fleet Captain

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    Well, that's a description of the games. A show would have a narrower focus, especially since the writers wouldn't have to flesh out the universe as much.
     
  16. Trubinator

    Trubinator Rear Admiral Rear Admiral

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    Again ... wrong.

    If your effective military strength is high enough, you see people celebrating on Earth (and presumably across the galaxy) after the mass relays explode. Also, the Normandy survives a jump WHILE a relay is blowing up. Thus, BioWare simply retconned their own lore for what happens when a mass relay explodes.
     
  17. clint g

    clint g Admiral Admiral

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    :facepalm:

    I know. That's the whole point. That's the ENTIRE reason people are pissed at the ending. It makes NO sense. It has a massive plot hole. I'm not wrong, I'm exactly right and no one gets what's going on with the ending as a result. It's precicely that last scene that caused people to


    think that everything that happened was in Sheppard's head and that he was indoctrinated. It's the only way the ending can possibly make a lick of sense


    Theres a reason why Brett said this

    That's WHY the ending is being patched up. What are you trying to get at other than to confirm that the ending is a mess....something that no one disagreed with?
     
  18. clint g

    clint g Admiral Admiral

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    :facepal:

    I know. That's the whole point. That's the ENTIRE reason people are pissed at the ending. It makes NO sense. It has a massive plot hole. I'm not wrong, I'm exactly right and no one gets what's going on with the ending as a result. It's precicely that last scene that caused people to


    think that everything that happened was in Sheppard's head and that he was indoctrinated

    That's WHY the ending is being patched up and that's why any changes is going to be a retcon...which was my point from the start. Seriously, what are you trying to get at other than to confirm that the ending is a mess?
     
  19. Asbo Zaprudder

    Asbo Zaprudder Admiral Admiral

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    I wondered exactly why the fans were so pissed off at the ending of ME3. Now I know. Actually, I like the idea that it might have been a
    That's very Lovecraftian in its bleakness, although not very original.
     
  20. PsychoPere

    PsychoPere Vice Admiral Premium Member

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    The Normandy was not traveling through a mass relay, per one of BioWare's community managers; presumably it was, however, traveling via conventional FTL.