Arc 6 (Mass Effect Next Theory)

Greetings Internet (and Mass Effect fans),

I know, I know, there are plenty of Mass Effect theories out there. But the more the merrier. So, here we go...

Arc 6

Let's start with the basics, what is an Arc ? It's a vessel meant to allow a group of people to survive / escape a (natural) disaster (of biblical proportions in most cases). For the Nexus and Arc 1 through 5, the disaster in question is the Reaper War. But in Mass Effect Next, the war is over. (Regardless of which ending you picked.) So, Arc 6 needs a new disaster. The question is....what is it ?

The Disaster

One of the teasers that BioWare has given us is "Anomalies detected all across space." I think that the anomalies are the disaster, and that we have already seen this disaster play out on a smaller scale. In Mass Effect 2, we have a radiation source in the form of star Dholen, that is render the planets around it uninhabitable for organic life.

My theory: Whoever the new big bad is, messed with Dholen as a test of Milky Way galaxy shield technology. They also messed with the blueprints of the Crucible. Their alterations caused the Crucible blast to interact with dark energy and create the anomalies. Anomalies that are now the radiation source with the affected area being the entire Milky Way. 

Who is on Arc 6?

My guess is that like Arc 5 (aka the Keelah), Arc 6 will be multi-species ship. If I was designing it, I would use it to make the list of evacuated species longer. So Raloi, Virtual Aliens, Geth, maybe a second load of Batarians (now that their old government is gone, I figure they are no longer the outcasts of the galaxy), some extra Quarians and so on.

Who do I think the Big Bad are?

Some folks on YouTube have pitched the idea that the Jardaan are the next big bad. And having heard their arguments, I think they are right. It is simply to perfect a way to tie Andromeda into the story. If Dholen was a shield test, we know that our Milky Way heroes don't have the shields needed to withstand the lethal radiation the Jardaan unleash on the galaxy. But...

The Jardaan created Remnant tech and Ryder and co have access to that. I think they used it to upgrade their shields (probably to protect themselves against the Scourge), accidentally giving them the only Jardaan radiation proof shields around, which brings me to...

My Guess About The Story

My crazy theory....Next is going to be a loop. Sounds nuts? Well, stay on the crazy train, please, people. In your first play-through, Arc 6 doesn't make it. Instead, Ryder and co find a buoy, which serves as McGuffin for them travelling back to the Milky Way. 

They return to find a galaxy with only the Jardaan in it. Everybody else is dead. The organics were killed by the radiation and the synthetics were wiped out by the Scourge. So what do Ryder and co do? They travel back in time to recruit Liara and change history. (By doing all sorts of missions in the Milky Way. Since it confirmed to be the main setting.)

Now comes the good part. You had to replay ME3 several times to finish leveling up and get all the best guns. But in Next, New Game+ becomes part of the story. In every cycle, based on the decisions you made in previous games and in Next...

1. The fate / condition of Arc 6 at the start of your next play-through changes, resulting in...
   
2. ....Unlocking extra mission
3. ...More Squad mates (You start with Liara and Shepard. With each cycle giving you one extra.)
4. Upgrades for your ship...

As for the end game. I think the counterpart of the Suicide Mission is Shepard and his team (including Ryder) boarding Arc 6 and getting it safely into Andromeda, breaking the loop and setting up the next game. 

DLCs

Oops...almost forgot that there are two Ryders. So, how does that work ? I'm thinking at if you played Andromeda, your player Ryder goes to the Milky Way, while NPC/other Ryder stays behind to take over as Pathfinder. If you didn't play Andromeda you get to pick your Ryder at the start of your first play-through.

I also think that the Tempest stays behind in Andromeda for the other Ryder to use. And that the Mudskipper is a special craft build for the trip back to the Milky Way (Trekkies: Like Voyager build the Delta Flyer.) As what the DLCs are about, I think they'll fill in the Andromeda side of the story. 

With the rescue of the Keelah / Arc 5 being at the top of (other) Ryders to-do list. And that is the end of my thinking out loud. Have a nice day and...

Regards,

Ruben Hilbers (aka @Dantes74302)

Why I think AITSE should go on strike

Hi Alex,

As is common knowledge, last year saw two strikes - WGA and SAG-AFRA - do numbers on Hollywood and the American film industry as a whole. And 2024 has a potential strike bubbling away in background.

I know that these strikes were hard on people. And that sucked. Nor do I think that should be swept under the rug. But...

I still think that IATSE should strike. Why ? Because while the 2023 strikes have created some certainties for the future, our world is a rapidly changing place. Especially in the field of Artificial Intelligence. 

And then there is the matter of the Bob Igers of the world, with their giant egos. Yes, the strikes forced them to bend the knee to the unions. But give them a successful box office years in 2024 and 2025 and by the time the next negotiations roll around, they will be just as selfish and arrogant as they were last year. Even more so if they are possession of next-level AI programs that will allow Hollywood to replace people with software like you and I change socks. (And I have a LOT of socks.)

Not only would any agreement resulting from the IATSE strike add certainties and safeguards against AI (and people getting sacked), the strike itself would result in productions getting shut-down (or at least experiencing major issues). Does that mean more hard times ? Yes. Does that suck ? Absolutely, totally, two-hundred percent. If I could think of another way, would I be for that ? Yes.

But I can't think of one. Not without things being much worse during the next negotiations. Or to summarize, If IATSE doesn't strike..."The bill comes due." (Karl Mordo, Dr Strange)

Regards,

Ruben A. Hilbers (aka Commander Nash)

Looking for Trekkies (up for breaking the mold)

Greetings Trekkies,

After having been a member of several Star Trek RPGs, I have decided to start one of my own. Of course, it kind of helps to have other members / players. The problem is that Trek RPGs are a dime a dozen, so what makes mine different... 

One thing that seems to be an iron rule, is that Trek RPGs is that the HAVE to be about Starfleet. Because apparently nobody else in the Federation is capable of boldly going... So that is the first rule Forgotten Frontiers threw out the window. 

Set in the year 2376, Forgotten Frontiers tells the story of the SS Nothing and her crew. With the hero-ship being a civilian vessel, this game will ignore a lot of the restrictions that are baked into Starfleet-centric RPGs. 

Launching from Earth, Nothing will show that there are still plenty of adventures, dangers and miracles left in Sector 001, even if Starfleet has gotten jaded to them. 

Are you up to restoring a sense wonder to the Federation ? Then you need Nothing and Nothing needs you ! 

Regards,

Ruben A. Hilbers (Captain Yenna Chor'dan)

NCIS: Redux -- aka "I told you so !"

Hi Alex,

This letter is kind of weird. In one way, it's me coming full circle and yet its also things moving forward. Back in February 2023, I made a case about how NCIS was showing that CBS was in trouble. 

I could recap the whole thing, or I could just put in the link. Yeah, I'm going for the link. It's less work. So here it is...

NCIS Showing That CBS is in Trouble

Okay, I'll put in a bit of recap. I took a good, hard look at the NCIS-verse* and how CBS was trimming the fat off it. (*The NCIS-verse consists of JAG, the NCIS franchise, Scorpion and the Lenkov-verse shows.) In the months since, stuff has happened so, let's move on to...

The Current Mess

NCIS: Los Angeles is gone and so is Magnum PI. In fact, Magnum PI was sort of gone for quite a while. The show was recorded during the first half of 2023. But the WGA and SAG-AFRA strikes happened, so the network sat on the finished episodes for months. This was all them trying to keep the 'new' content going for a while. Which brings us to the next issue, namely...

NCIS: Sydney...a show with only eight episodes. I've heard people complain about NCIS: Sydney's characters. But IMHO the real problem with Sydney is not the characters, it's that the whole thing feels like less like a season and more like a production block that was quickly shoved out the door to plug the hole (in the programming) left by the strikes. 

The folks at CBS didn't even bother to give the show it's own theme song. Instead, they simply remixed the original show's theme. Combined with the lack of cameos, the production design and the low number of the episodes, it makes NCIS: Sydney feel cheap. Which is a shame, because the characters have potential.

It's not actors fault that CBS is broke and the people running it are such misers. Also don't blame the Sydney folks for the cancellation of LA. CBS contracts run 7 years. In order to given LA a season 15, CBS would have had to renegotiate. Had they done so, they would NOT have green-lit just season 15, LA would have been locked in until season 21. Which is my transition to the other shows...

NCIS

...Starting with the mother show. Season 21 was sort of a given. Because there is no need to renegotiate. The current seven-year block doesn't end until Season 21's final episode. It's Season 22 where things get sticky. Can CBS afford to keep the show going until Season 28 ? 

Especially if the rumors about Paramount's upcoming merger/sale with/to Universal are true. And then there is the option of Paramount/CBS wanting to buy Alex Kurtzman out. The money for that would have to come from some place. And even if the rumors are all a bunch of hogwash, making seven seasons of television is not cheap. Unless you frak them over like they did with Sydney. 

Finally, there is the tragic loss of David McCallum. No matter what changed, Ducky gave the show that magical sparkle. (I would have loved to see Ducky interact with Rosie on Sydney - two ME's swapping notes - something that will now never come to pass.) With loss of McCallum, NCIS is facing hard(er) times. Now, time to talk about...

NCIS: Hawaii

Season 1 and 2 are in the bag, with Season 3 on the way. The thing is...the best case scenario for Hawaii is a repeat of what happened to New Orleans. Meaning the show gets seven seasons and then CBS pulls the plug. The worst case scenario is season 3 and then...poof ! 

As for LL Cool J coming over for Season 3, IMHO that's a good thing. I'm hoping that Sam Hanna joining the fun will bring over LA fans who have not been watching Hawaii. And LA season 14 left some plots unresolved. Maybe Sam's presence will allow for these threads to be brought over and tied up. 

Oh, and Steve McGarrett still owns Sam a steak dinner. And maybe that will open the door to other cameos...

That's all I have.

Regards,

Ruben A. Hilbers (aka Commander Nash)

Ding, that's two !

Maybe I'm seeing things that aren't there, but I get the feeling the MCU and Whoniverse might be connected. So far, all I had to go on was fact that the MCU has Celestials and the 60th will see the Doc facing off again the Celestial Toymaker. But a quick use of Google reveals that the Star Beast started life as a comic. A comic written by.....Marvel UK. 

Yep, Beep the Meep is a Marvel character. So, what more (possible) links are hiding in the wings ? Keep your eyes open...

Regards,

Ruben A. Hilbers (aka Commander Nash)

Connecting the MCU to Dr Who....

 ...Is the answer hiding to plain sight ?

A while back, there were a couple articles floating around explaining the (possible) connection between the Marvel Cinematic Universe and the Whoniverse...

Screen rant's Article (22 July 2022)

We've got this Covered's Article (23 November 2022) 

However....in the months since these came out, we learned that Neil Patrick Harris will be playing the Toymaker in the 60th anniversary specials. But here's the thing.....the character is actually called the Celestial Toymaker. Combine this with the fact that before the Time War, the Time Lords could travel between universes as easily as you and I can change socks. 

And Ego was making babies with any species he could. So, why not some lovely Time Lord/Lady ? If the Toymaker is actually a Time Lord-Celestial hybrid (and Starlord's half-brother) it would explain a thing or two. 

The Time Lord half of his DNA could give him the capacity of regeneration, explaining why the Toymaker looks different now. And the Celestial half would make him more powerful then the base model Time Lord.

Also, I wouldn't be surprised if it was Kang the Conqueror's Earth 5556 counterpart that turned the Division into a bunch of universe destroying, power hungry schmucks. Not openly, of course, but pulling strings from the shadows....

Anyway, those are my thoughts,

Regards,

Ruben A. Hilbers (aka Commander Nash) 

Bits and Pieces Vol. 13

 Hi Alex,

How are things going on the island ? Things have been well....wet...over here. You see, back in July, we had LOTS of rain. More then the local sewers could handle. So the water had to go somewhere...

...which turned out to be my living room. Twice. And my floor didn't like that one bit. So now three quarters of it has to be replaced. And my landlord(s) have decided to replace my bathroom. Which is great...

...But together with the floor replacement, means that my place is headed for a major remodel. Said remodel is taking a lot of preparation, which is why I haven't around to writing to you.

The Good News

It's not all bad news, however. The remodel is giving me the opportunity to deal with several issues that have been hiding in the woodwork. Another thing the remodel kind of forced me to do, was to clean up the hard drive on my computer. I had let some files pile up and I needed to do some major reorganizing. Which I finally got around to now.

And back in September, my American friend Rick made another trip to the Netherlands. Together with two other friends, we visited the Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam. And it was great. We enjoyed the paintings (Vincent sure knew how to paint) and had lunch afterwards. Rick then headed to London and met another friend here. 

So there has been good stuff as well,

Regards,

Ruben A. Hilbers (aka Commander Nash)