ME: Andromeda Cliffhangers and Theories (SPOILERS!!!!)

After taking the time to think deeply about why I feel so meh about Mass Effect:  Andromeda, I started thinking about the major cliffhangers and questions that are left at the end of the game.  There are so many and regardless of what you felt about the game itself, it is still fun to try to puzzle out these little mysteries.  This post is going to basically be spoilers so read ahead with caution if you haven't played or finished Andromeda.

1.) The Quarian Ark.  After you save Meridian you are given the chance to roam around the now crashed Hyperion and give your team some high fives.  While you are happily congratulating everyone you run across, a tech at a computer console excitedly shows you a recently acquired radio signal from the Quarian ark.  According to the radio message the ark has made it to Heleus but the message is also a warning to stay away.

Many people believed that any singleplayer DLC released would have to do with the Quarian ark--since we now know that this DLC isn't happening we are left to wonder.  The Quarian ark is extra interesting because it was supposed to be carrying the Quarians plus a wide array of other Milky Way species--Hanar, Elcor, Drell, and maybe some Volus and Batarians.  It seems a little unfair to burden the Quarians with looking out for all these other species and maintaining them in cryo for 600+ years.  Or maybe the Quarians are the best choice since they are the tech experts?

What could possibly be going on that the Quarians would want you to stay away?  The Quarian ark with its numerous species would be a juicy piece of genetic material for the Kett.  But wouldn't a simple Kett attack be something that they would want help with?  Could it possibly be that the Reapers have managed to insinuate themselves onto the Quarian ark?  What if the Quarians want you to stay away because the Reapers have followed them or tracked them?  Or, even worse, if the Reapers have managed to take the ship and have indoctrinated the crew...

We can keep crossing our fingers that the lack of singleplayer DLC was a myth...but it's looking doubtful.

2.) The Benefactor/Murder of Jien Garson.  Through unlocking your father's memories and encrypted audio messages you learn that Jien Garson wasn't the "founder" of the Andromeda Initiative, but was merely a fundraising mouthpiece and diplomat for the project.  The real founder of the project is a mysterious entity known as "The Benefactor."  This mysterious person disguises their identity in your father's messages and there are very few clues as to who this person might be.  You also learn that Jien Garson wasn't killed when the Nexus hit the scourge, but was murdered by someone on the vessel.  Garson encodes a secret message and reveals that she didn't really trust the benefactor.  The only reason anyone would kill Garson would be to protect the identity of this person.

I've been picking my brain to try to think of some possibilities for this role.  This person (or group!  It could totally be a group...) would need to have access to enough money to bankroll the massive project that was the initiative.  They would need to have connections to throughout the Milky Way.  The list of possibilities:

Could the Illusive Man be the mysterious benefactor?

1.) The Illusive Man/Cerberus.  We know that Cerberus has the funds and resources to fund a wide array of projects--it's completely feasible that the Andromeda Initiative could be a Cerberus project.  The Illusive Man would definitely be someone who Garson wouldn't fully trust.  But would Cerberus fund a program that would include more than just humans?  That part seems very unlikely and makes me have my doubts that the Illusive Man would be the benefactor.

2.) The Citadel Council.  Throughout the original Mass Effect trilogy the council doubts Shepard's claims about the Reaper threat.  What if they were publicly denying the threat while privately making plans to fund the Andromeda Initiative?  The council would have access to the funds and resources needed for such a massive undertaking...but why wouldn't Garson trust the council?  And even the term "benefactor" seems to imply that this is an individual person....  The Andromeda Initiative seems like the kind of project that the council would take in a last ditch effort to rescue at least a small portion of the Milky Way species.

3.) Commander Shepard.  This theory is waaaay left-field, but why not?  Shepard focused on pulling the galaxy together and understood the looming threat of the Reapers.  The Commander would have the ability to bring people together with the understanding that something impossible might be the only chance for survival.  But, again, why wouldn't Jien Garson trust Shepard?  This one seems unlikely.

4.) Liara/The Shadow Broker.  As the shadow broker, Liara has access to the funds, information, resources, and secrecy that would be required for the Initiative.  She could be a good candidate.  The timeline might be a little problematic to make her work as a candidate--was she already the shadow broker before the Andromeda Initiative departed the Milky Way?  Jien Garson might not trust the shadow broker simply because they have a shady reputation.

5.) Aria T'Loak.  I think I mostly just miss Aria as a character...but she could be on the list of possible suspects.  She runs a massive criminal organization on Omega--it might be feasible that she could have the money and resources to fund something like the Initiative.  We also don't know much about her background (it would be cool for her to have a DLC or come sort of backstory content) and connections prior to her arrival on Omega.  She admits to having the capital and connections to get started there.  Her reputation would definitely be one that Garson wouldn't trust.  But would Aria really care about something like Andromeda?  Doubtful.

Those are just a few that I've considered.  I'm sure there are many, many others who could fill the role.

3.) The Jardaan.  Toward the end of the main story we learn that the Angara and the Remnant were created by an advanced race known as the Jardaan.  There are some serious implications behind this knowledge--the Jardaan are extremely advanced...they are the creators of an entire species as well as all the Remnant and vault/Meridian technology.  This is a whole new level of advanced aliens--a level that eclipses the Reapers.  There are plenty of questions to think about here....

Why did the Jardaan create the Angara?  Throughout the game it is heavily emphasized that the Anagara don't know much about their past.  Their history and culture was heavily disrupted by the decimation of their society by the Kett.  They had to be designed for some sort of purpose though.  My theory is that the Angara are the Heleus version of the Keepers--rather than interacting with the Citadel and its technology the Angara are able to interact with Remnant tech.  We know that the Angara have a unique electrical aspect to their biology...I believe that electrical adaptation is tied to the the ability to control the Remnant.  Unfortunately this knowledge has been lost through the ages due to Kett interference.  We see some evidence of this on Havarl during the mission to unlock one of the vaults--Ryder has to locate and Angara who can use his past memories to interact with the vault structures.

Did the Jardaan create the scourge?  If so, why?  Was the purpose to completely wipe out all traces of their existence in Heleus?  The scourge seems to target Remnant structures.  We also learn that the scourge is the result of the detonation of some sort of mega-weapon.

What happened to the Jardaan?  The evidence seems to point to some sort of attack that caused them to flee or that they were completely wiped out.  Could their demise have been caused by the Reapers?

What if the Jardaan created the Reapers?  Maybe this is another example of technology run amok like the Quarians and the Geth.  We also have to consider the motives of the Reapers...why do they seek to eliminate all organic life every 50,000 years?  Why do they seem to follow the exact same pattern?  It seems like a massive experiment--something about trying to have organic life develop in a certain way...but it just hasn't happened the way that they want.  Heleus could have been wiped out by the Reapers with the Angara being the only civilization left to restart the 50,000 year cycle.

There have been so many ideas bouncing around my head as I finished up playthrough #2 of Andromeda.  I hope that some of these questions are answered...and that Andromeda was simply a learning experience that can be improved upon.