The computer called Javik "Commander" in his time. Javik is basically the Shepard from his own cycle. A military "leader" who sought to stop the invasion. They mirror each other.
It's a worse crime that they couldn't just make a dlc that confirms the reaper indoctrination theory, and then continue the story after the destroy ending. Even worse, they did not even put in the work to allow Javik in the story to meet the Collectors that the Leviathans saved after ME2. Might have given him some hope that the Protheans could return to the galaxy in another form...
Haha that's perfect "Comparable snack for humans would be almonds! Salty! Sustains energy. Helps digestion! Great for long nights in the lab- should try sometime, Shepard *sniffs* Might enjoy."
@@frzferdinand72 Here in Brazil there's a species of ant that some people L O V E to eat with cassava powder. Apparently, it has a taste similar to peanuts. Also, some native people eat a maggot that supposedly is very nutritive. Humans will eat anything that is vaguely edible, it seems.
Liara, when rescuing Javik: If this single Prothean was sent into stasis, he could be the foremost scientist of his time... or perhaps the wisest counselor! Javik: *Turns out to be a relentless interstellar troll*
Javik: Among my people, there were... Avatars of many traits: bravery, strength, cunning. A single exemplar of each Shepard: Which one are you? Javik: I am the embodiment of trolling. I am the sassiness of a dead people, demanding trolling be done for the trolling we received.
@@danielawesome36 considering the reapers attack every 50,000 years and humans have existed for 200,000. yes. Since they know about the other now sapient species historys id imagine so.
Javik is basically that grandpa that always talks about "in my time" and "the shit I've seen" Difference is he's still fit enough to kick around with the young ppl.
He also has the benefit of nobody being able to bust or confirm his sayings. Thus he can spin as outrageous stories as he feels like. One of few perks of being 50 000 year old relic from annihilated culture.
@@TheSpiritus0 They likely took it as inspiration. I used to think and admire game devs for being so creative with everything untill I discovered DnD and realized how much they simply take from there and change a little.
possible outcomes: set on fire but no damage since some shields prevent physical harm , if set on fire air lock would have a form of wind possibly putting out fire
@@bi0hazard921 Maybe it's because they seem to be similar. Quarians also have the reversed knees and 3 digit hands / 2 digit feet, so maybe in Javik's time that was as close as you got to your own species, while still being alien and exotic. Kind of like the Asari being pretty much like humans with another skin color and head tentacles.
@@vtr0104 Asari are "pretty much like humans" because they have natural biotic fields that warp other races to fit their perception of beauty...they could be just a little bit different, or they could be a lovecraftian bundle of tentacles for all we know.
Javik is such an underappreciated character it makes me weep, especially when he's dismissed for being coldhearted and manipulative. He himself said he was born at a time when they could only teach the young of war, of the hard calculus that would let them live to see another day, the sheer hopelessness of fighting an unwinnable war, can you really blame him for his initial views? In that situation, anything that could give you an edge, that could prolong extinction for even just a second, would be seized without a second thought to morals and empathy, because it came down to the sheer desperation for survival. It doesn't excuse his words and actions, obviously, but it's a realistic and complex portrayal of the sheer trauma that can come from living in that kind of situation all your life. But the most amazing thing is the way he grows, goes from calling Liara 'the asari' to 'Dr. T'soni', from commenting on asari's ability to write to wanting to write a book with her, from refusing to shake Shepard's hand in the beginning to initiating one with Shepard in the end, telling her he believes in her and he knows she'll be able to defeat the Reapers, wanting to experience peace for himself. He grows, he heals, he learns that this time is different from his, learns empathy and kindness and understanding. The scene at the end where he's injured can be interpreted multiple ways, but I think the pain on his face and in his words was worry for Shepard, the place he belongs fighting at her side, no longer thinking of her as some nameless asset but as a person, a person who he will probably never see again, and that pains him. He cares for others, looks forward to a peaceful future, and considers 'primitives' his equals. I just- wish more people would appreciate how amazing a character he is.
Javik is mostly under appreciated because he was locked behind a pay wall, one of if not the most intresting character in the series and a HUGE deal as the lore of the francise goes. But no EA and Bioware carved him out for a few extra pennies as day one DLC
@CD Smith I went through his dialogues and liked him for supporting the tough but practical decisions I made, all the way until he reveals that Asaris were used as fucktoys by the Protheans and that he finds Liara to be hot. Remember all of this is in the context of how condescending he's been towards her. I'm not gonna install his DLC on my next playthrough.
What? No mention about the fact he was hunted down by and later forced to kill his own crew? Javik specifically points to that moment he turned cold near the end of the game if you talk to him. He was the Shepard of his time, only he failed.
Why do so many people give barely a shit about the fact that a prothean is walking around? They were more excited to meet the first human spectre than a living specimen of a legendary extinct species
Do most people in that world even know what protheans look like? I doubt it since collectors being protheans was a "big reveal" of ME2. With that many aliens around they could probably assume he's from a specie they don't know about, possibly sick member of specie they do know about etc. No one jumps to most unlikely scenario first. Also, like someone already said - there's this whole civilization ending event going on, their "being surprised" well might be bottomed out.
May also just be so surprising it just loops back around to a lack of reaction. There just is no real way to process it, so they brush it under the rug. A human spectre, on the other hand, is much more believable.
@@dive_bomb3r also there's the salarien that asks where he got his mods from to look the way he does. Hyper advanced plastic surgery is apparently a thing.
I always loved taking Javis with Liara to Thessia as he essentially negates her religion and beliefs by telling her it was the Protheans that gave them the tools to become the advanced species in this cycle
In my fanfic (basically a sequel to my Ultraman fanfic where I decided to combine aliens from other franchises to better show off the Ultras' practice of 'interracial relationships'), my OC and her husband rescue Javik while he's still unconscious and bring him to their apartment. There, the very next day, their neighbours (a Turian couple, a pair of fraternal Quarian twins, two Asari sisters, one male Krogan and a former Salarian Dalatrass) berate them for rescuing a dangerous creature.
I swear the way he described his kind's capital punishment almost made me upchuck bile. Good God, I know hanging itself can kill a person and traumatise even the hardiest executioners for life, but slow slicing? Goddammit Javik, you're lucky you aren't around your people anymore.
In my friends playthrough after all that she then shot the VI and got the 'cycle repeats' ending. After the cutscene I simply said to her, Javik would be very very upset with you
Did Liara get upset because Javik said the Salarians used to eat flies? If I had that extra content, Javik would be my new best friend, that guy's a true renegade.
Yeah, I think she finds him arrogant and uselessly provocative. She also has a hard time realising that the race she idealised the whole time was in fact warlike, dominative and pretty much fascist, so she's falling from a great height. She projected her own Asari views into them and now she realises that it was all wrong. But you're right, he's a great buddy for a renegade Shepard. He's thinking exactly this way.
Philippe D.R. I thought he was like that because he was born, during the Prothean-Reaper War, with his eye staring at his burning homeworld that was caused by the reaper. Not to mention he was a soldier and have narrow perspective and understanding because he was to busy trying to stay alive while his entire squad under his command turned into collector and he has to slit their throat one by one. Adding to that, many live were lost when he was in statis pod simply to keep one living soul alive so he will be the voice of prothean empire. Only to find his hope smashed to the floor and found that their clue and beacon and everything they have left for the primitives fail to warn them of an impending Reaper attack. And the nightmare he slept through continued when his eye are open. I think it is fair he was being an asshole. For someone who have carry burden like that and not fall apart yet.
Bruh wasnt Ilos is already a destroyed world? The Protheans simply build a research base there to see how mass relays works and catalyst and citadel being secret a relay stuff
"Not a word." Oh, my! A female Shepard and the Prothean!! Its just GREAT! For all my roleplays I missed it somehow! So I need to play it again. Thanks a lot, Sir Jaguar.
"Stand in the ashes of a trillion dead souls and ask the ghosts if honor matters. The silence is your answer" Brings chills everytime. Such great writing in this game compared to the new masseffect
Basically Shepard wanted to keep his/her honour even after the war. Basically can you save the galaxy without making the horrible yet right decisions. Jarvik basically meant you do what you need to do. Honour means nothing
27:00 I hear the so often, “the strong survive” but it’s a misunderstanding of the original text, “The fit survive.” The fit are not strong, but the most adequate for a specific situation. Also, it’s hard to overlook the value of bio-diversity. What is a weakness at one time may become a strength in another. Killing the currently weak just makes you unprepared for when those weaknesses will be strengths.
He originally was. But due to time constraints imposed by EA, they didn't have time to complete him. It's hard to think about now, but when Mass Effect 3 launched you still had to 'go gold' (have your final copy) in print long before the actual release date. They removed sections where he'd be required etc etc. During that time before publication they worked on finishing Javik. Hence the day one dlc. It's also why he's so well integrated into the game compared to Zaeed and Kasumi in ME2.
Not only did I love the protheans new design, I like that the statues of Illos were retconned to be the appearence of the Innusanon, the species that predated the protheans.
I have a theory: I think that if A: the From Ashes DLC (which I remind everyone was finished BEFORE ME3 launched) was included on the standard edition disk instead of being special edition extra crap and B: EA had had some sense and just let Bioware either use the original ending even though it leaked OR allowed them to come clean and say "Look, the ending we've had planned since day one is no longer usable so we had to rework things a little bit, bear with us; then the backlash to ME3's original ending would not have been nearly as bad as it was. Alot of the whole "Synthetics vs. Organics through each cycle" stuff is foreshadowed pretty directly in Javik's dialogues and it seems like it was Bioware's effort to patch up the holes in the narrative caused by having to change the ending (read: everyone knew what was going to happen, but there was nothing they could do about it so they tried their best). Granted, it's understood that the reason alot of that foreshadowing only exists in Javik's arc/dialogue is because that content was made after the base game's dev time was wrapped, and the ending changes happened fairly late in that process, so this may indeed have been the best they could do, but in that case it should have been free DLC for all editions. (And this is coming from someone who thought, given the circumstances, ME3's ending was about as good as it could have been) Bottom line: EA prioritized their business and bottom line over the realization of their artists' work. Everything is their fault. Theirs and Konami's. Konami wasn't even involved in this game but it's still their fault because Fuck Konami!
Okay, I don't know Mass Effect in its entirety, but when it comes to romance I feel like they did Javik dirty here. There was so much opportunity for him to grow and develop as a character, but I feel he stayed mostly the same throughout all of it. Now you can say, "That's just his character," and sure, that can be valid on its own. But that doesn't make a GREAT character as opposed to a static one. I would have loved to see Javik have to face the hypocrisy of his beliefs and learn something from the characters he encountered. Also, what makes a great ROMANCE is when each love interest learns something from their partner and they change and grow as individuals from each new challenge that they face. To romance Javik, Shepard just has to agree with everything he says(as far as I have observed from this video) and that just makes it so that Javik is never faced with a situation where his beliefs are challenged which in turn leads to conflict and growth. Plus it's aggravating and a bit uninteresting as far romances go. I would have loved to see Javik recover and remember his people's memories and go through an episode of despair, frustration, and grief. I would have liked to see his views of other races and AI change as he's forced to rely on people he's done nothing but looked down on. I would have loved to see his beliefs on war and battle challenged when faced with loss and hurt of the people close to him, whether he's close to them or not, he realizes how much it affects people and what war costs, and what peace means for people IN war. I would have loved to see Javik realize even though he's given everything he is to war like he always has, the thought of losing Shepard makes him want to overturn his beliefs, and that shocks him. Maybe that thought even scares him. He had so much room for development and so much about his species and his traits that I felt were ever fully explored. Not to mention he's the LAST one of his kind. I would have killed for a scene where he shows vulnerability for the first time and shares his inner fears with Shepard, showing how much he trusts and values whatever they have going on at that point. Writing this out felt good. Now I can sleep at night.
During Mass Effect 3 there really isn't time for him to start reflecting himself and judging his meaning. He still wants to see peace rather than keep suffering going just because he wants it to go on. I think after the war (especially if memory shard is not used) he goes through severe crisis of identity as so much is expected from him and he has no answers to questions.
Javik remains number 1 in my favorite characters (Javik, Tali, Wrex), especially when he gets drunk. Horribly underrated, and I wish he had been introduced a lot sooner than ME 3.
*Hanar accent* This one may unlock the secrets of the Protheans if this one pays a small amount of currency. This one will have access to the secrets of those who lived in the past. :D
@@themadhammer3305 I partially agree with you. Yes, the Volus tend to be quite exploitative, but I remember some bad Hanars in ME games. Also, their accent was one of the main reasons why I chose a Hanar for my previous comment. :)
All of these years later, he's still my absolute fav alongside Thane. It's a shame he's underutilized since he only got one game to shine in and underappreciated throughout the fandom. I love me some four eyed bug aliens with sexy accents. Oh, the pains of being obsessed with a side character.
Javik is the epitome of the old man complaining about how things are too different: "Back in my cycle we didn't care what other races thought, and if they thought differently we just ate them"
Ya gonna count that back then most of those races were possibly more animal-like than they are now? Try likening it to early humans feasting on bear meat, which most don't do now.
"stand in the ashes of a trillion dead souls, and ask the ghosts if honor matters" if anything captures the kind of hell javik and the protheans went through its that sentence.
I always wondered something. The Collectors were Protheans genetically modified by the Reapers. Shepard may have taken out the Collector Base but that doesn't mean he/she wiped them all out, yes? After the Reapers, wouldn't it be possible for the Salarians to re-engineer them back to Prothean, considering Javik exists as a genetic marker?
hjpop Aren't the reaper modifications permanent? If cloned like how Grunt was made then I think it's very likely possible. But it feels like with Andromeda, bioware didn't leave much to know what happened after the war since they leave the ending open. But prothean scientists would be an awesome creation.
Ryder knew partially about it though. In one of the logs, you can hear the various home planets reporting about Reapers invading Palaven, Thessia and Earth. Ryder is now just wondering what is a Reaper and whether Milky Way survives the reaper invasion. Even Liara says in the log to "remember us". Since BW didnt choose a specific canon ending, we will never truly know what happens.
More like someone blatantly confused and voicing stuff the best way he knows without realising the actual context behind it. I was one of those people once.
I like to think so as well. Javik would learn much of his culture through their artifacts and would eventually be buried in Hanar homeworld with monument larger than anybody had had.
I never got to play me3, but with as many walkthroughs I've watched. It feels so familiar! Also loved Javik maybe someday I'll get to finish it and "meet" him.
Let's be clear. Javik knew what a handshake was. He had already gained a pretty thorough knowledge of whatever language modern humans speak, and presumably a handshake is a bit easier to parse than say, the hidden depths of meaning within the Thong Song. He was just like "Nah."
Anyone else ever noticed that Javik/Protheans are like a combination of all other races in the current time? - His body is that of a (healthier) Quarian, just look at the hands and feet - He has 4 eyes like a Batarian - He has a kind of plate on his head like a Krogan - He has kinda blueish skin - His neck looks like a Drell's - His voice sounds like a Turian - He thinks quickly like a Salarian
1:13:41 .....did Wrex just hit on Shepard? I mean what else could leg wrestle mean? I've never seen that dialogue. Is that because your Shepard is single?
Krogan's have such big dick's they can actually kill their mate's that aren't from the same race, no, I'm not making this up. It's in the lore book There's a reason you'll always see either asari or Krogan's with them
@@jdwoods5790 Thing is, they just couldnt get more "screentime" with a lore like this. Butthurt because the council preferred humans over the Battarians, closed their embassy and basically left the galactic community so that no one really could trust them.
@@heiniknallkopp9688 yeah, the batarian's are probably the hardest race to sympathize with, they've literally threw a fit because human's colony we're made on their milky way (which is fucking dumb, they didn't do it on their planet's) ME3 also implies they did it out of racism for the human's, not because of necessity (you can see a planet in their system with a turian's population who was active before the colonization)
With every playthrough of ME3 I get the impression that first and foremost, Javik is a product of his time. His views on Prothean supremacy and cold disregard for other species were simply a matter of fact in his cycle.
*DARTH VADER:* Don't be too proud of this technological terror you've constructed. The ability to destroy a planet is insignificant next to the power of the Force.
When you are afk in Stellaris and allow automatic research. When you come back, ancient race has conquered half the universe and the primitive races now have their planets and fleets.