Mass Effect 3 - Should Javik View the Memory Shard or Leave It Alone? 

Javik- I can't rest until every reaper is dead Shepard- chooses control/synthesis ending Javik- For F*ck sake

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.

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.

Javik: "What should I do Commander?" Shepherd: "Heed your own advice. Throw it out the airlock."

So, convincing him to reopen old wounds which makes him decide to kill himself is paragon... EXCUSE ME BIOWARE?!

I see this channel skyrocket when the Legendary Edition comes out

Imagine if the Hanar could visit Jamaica. It’s their literal version of Heaven.

Leave it and let him become the God of the Hanar race xD

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.

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

is it just me or does Javik's Memory Shard look like a 5 Gum

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.

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.

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.

I love the scene of Shepard saying "If you can live by it" as he looks at an image of the Normandy.

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.

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 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 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.

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.

Javik's canon fate is to live as a queen among his men.

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.

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

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.

Big Dan missed the opportunity to put Javik saying he's going to throw someone out of the airlock in the outro

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. :)

First play through I let him see it so I could see what it was about. Every other play through, "Man leave that alone!"

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.

loving the extra story analysis offered here! loving this channel in general. Keep it up!

I like that Javik gives Shepard the shard to continue it's legacy only for Shepard to almost immediately activate the crucible and die

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!

I kind of want to see Javik's reaction after the Control or Synthesis endings 🤣

I didn’t even know this mattered before lmao, quality content my guy

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).

This is life changing video. I never let him to touch that thing again!

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 👍😁

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!

Great content as always, keep the good work and this channel is gonna be huge once the legendary edition comes out

I didn’t know how the lore in ME can be huge!! Thank you for your awesome work and keep doing it!

I always encouraged him to remember the past so one can look forward to the future. But I never thought about it from this perspective! So glad you made this vid, @BigDanGaming!

very poetic ending there. Love your vids, keep up the great work!

Thank you so much. I never knew this is possible

thanks for making this video. caught myself thinking about this game and what sorts of messages and lessons i learned from it, and this particular theme in the mass effect games - that of the need to keep going forward and remain grounded in the present instead of allowing oneself to become lost in the past - was a pretty useful bit of wisdom that i didnt really start to fully appreciate until many years later.

I’m addicted to listening to your videos.

Keep up the ME content, it’s getting me through the wait for the remaster release😂

Your channel rules! You're answering questions I didn't know I needed to ask!

Useful! Thank you!

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 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.

Congrats on 10k

the legendary edition remaster is pure perfection

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.

"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 didn't even know about the possibility to avoid his suicide.I feel bad for my previous games but happy that there was an actually happy ending for one of my favorite character of this masterpiece trilogy. An excuse to make another game run then! ;) keep making good stuff!!

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.

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.

Wow, I never heard the suicide version .!! Nice cut

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.

Mass Effect is an awesome series, I really hope for it to continue.

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.

I didn't played the DLC of ME3. This time I can finally play thru the full story.

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 always had him do it. I figured the extra information was cool.

I think given a chance if only once to remember in full those you loved and lost is worth the remembering of the pain.

never knew javvik had this type of loyalty mission, i only knew about the hanar bit

A small detail when he stopped himself from saying asari to saying Liara's real name makes me happy

hello big dan when your channel explodes in May you will become the biggest rpg channel ever made and it will be glorious

The Vroom Angelic. Huh, must be a Cadillac he remembers.

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?

*has living prothean and cloning tech, doesn’t think to clone protheans*

Ppl redo the Quarian and geth decision video. The video has a lot of sound issues. Your content has gotten way better. Fan for a while now

Viewing the shard is a reason to fight, but not a reason to live

Now i am curious what happens to Kasumi if i let her destroy the grey box..

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 got the hanar one, glad I didn't let him view those memories

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.

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. 😆

Wow! I've played through ME3 over 10 times & I never saw this part. I never knew Javik can look at the shard. I thought I saw everything in the game multiple times. Somehow I missed this every single time. And I never saw anybody mention it on any forums or RU-vid videos. And nobody I played multiplayer with ever mentioned it. Now I see it for the first time in 2021. I wonder what else I missed?

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.

Im curious if you can fail in Thanes loyalty mission in me2 in more ways than one. Like what happens if you dont use the paragon or renegade choice after you catch Kolyat.

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.

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.

An asrai with prothean fsther would be interesting. New genes of the asarai the no one knows of could be unlocked. Or they might be able to know the history of an object by touching it

I like to think at least ONE Prothean is still out there. Somewhere. Just chillin.

Thanks.

Here I was thinking remembering your people was a good thing and a way of healing and moving on for a dude that was traumatized by it all and then the last conversation I have he says yeah I’m going to end it all because of those reasons. That just seem messed up…

Is there a way to change this with the file editor? I don't see an option to change it here, but there must be since the game keeps track of that value

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

part of me likes to think that javik would find an active prothean colony some day, somehow.

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 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.

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...

Kinda wish there was an option where it was basically, "I mean, I would wanna remember them but I can see NOT wanting to." My first time playing though Mass Effect 3 with Javik, I knew he killed himself after using the Echo Shard again but I didn't realize THAT was the dialogue wheel that determined whether he did or not.

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 😂🤣😂 ?

In my cycle commander, all our most important memories were stored on packs of 5 chewing gum

He gets different bonuses too.

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...

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.