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personalapocalypseI'll probably cross-post this to tumblr later in the evening. It's a reaction to something I read there.
Joker is one of my favorite characters in Mass Effect, and in fact in anything ever, because of so many things - including his drive, his ambition, the fact that he's such a fantastic pilot despite everything that was stacked against him (and despite being put down for trying to do what he did by his peers and his instructors - listen to his story about why he's called Joker in ME again. The nickname wasn't intended to be a friendly one.) The game does a fantastic job of portraying that, and of portraying him staying awesome and succeeding despite all of that and not curling up into a little ball of bitterness. He's a fantastic character and I want him to have all of the good things.
And this essay by![[tumblr.com profile]](https://www.tumblr.com/favicon.ico)
pocketpilot is a very good, very thought-provoking essay. Everyone who likes Joker should read this essay, no matter who you pair him with. Go ahead - read it. I'll wait.
...
Okay. So, my reaction to it is this.
I agree with the vast majority of points here, but there is one implication that I think unintentionally snuck in, or perhaps it's just a difference in interpretation - it's very hard to say. But either way I would like to put forth an alternate opinion about Joker and EDI and the possibility of any sort of actual relationship between them.
This is where I disagree (added emphasis is mine:)
One of the big subjects of commentary in ME2 was the distinction between artificial intelligences and organic lifeforms. It became far more immediately relevant in ME2 than it was in ME; in ME the AIs were almost always antagonists that Shepard had to destroy by one means or another. In ME2 we were interacting with EDI on a regular basis, who was introduced to us early on, and later we gained a squad member from one of the most hated groups of AIs in the entire galaxy and started learning that they aren't nearly as black-and-white as they seem, and in fact have suffered from many of the same divisions that warring factions of organic civilizations have suffered. In-universe, some characters have put forth the idea that maybe instead of wholly imitative beings, these so-called "artificial" beings have become sapient in their own right and deserve to be treated as such - perhaps even as equal to the organic intelligences of the galaxy. (I am NOT saying that this excuses all of their crimes, just that a crime by an AI should be treated in the same way as the same crime by another sapient being. But that's another post.)
So yes, pairing Joker with EDI because it is "so cute" can have unfortunate implications due to Joker's disability and EDI being an AI with no real physical form; it can give the unintentional impression that the author/artist believes that Joker, being literally a brittle person, can't handle human contact, and therefore needs to be in a relationship with someone who can't physically harm him even accidentally. I can see that being a huge issue, and it would need to be addressed. However. I would also like to put forth the suggestion that perhaps suggesting that Joker/EDI is inherently and irreparably problematic because EDI is an AI and not a "real person" is also problematic in terms of how AIs are treated in ME2 - that it suggests that no matter what the game shows, or what anyone (including EDI) believes, EDI cannot and will never be "real." That an AI, even when everything that they do in the game indicates otherwise, will never have the same status as an organic life form. The first game was already full of that point of view; I'd like to see more movement away from it.
Is that the case? Is that the point that the game is trying to make? I don't know; someone else playing the game might come to a completely different conclusion from mine (and I admit that since the reactions that I personally related to for Shepard were Paragon, my reaction is immediately skewed towards trying to understand/negotiate/reason with these new intelligences.) One would really have to ask the game's writers what they were trying to portray here. But I do think that there's room for interaction between Joker and EDI - not because Joker "can't get anyone else" or is too afraid of getting hurt, but because EDI is just coming into her own as a person, and because she trusts Joker and wants to share that with him. Because no matter what one might think about their relationship, there's no doubt that by the end of the game, they hold a lot of trust for each other.
[One last note: I don't know if is really necessary, but when I ship Joker with anyone it's usually Shepard, sometimes Tali or Kaidan, and occasionally Chakwas or Kelly; I'm not a huge fan of Joker/EDI, because I like those other pairings more. So this isn't the reaction of a Joker/EDI fan who wants to defend the ship; this is the reaction of someone who enjoyed seeing how AIs were portrayed and presented in ME2 and would like to put that on the table.]
Joker is one of my favorite characters in Mass Effect, and in fact in anything ever, because of so many things - including his drive, his ambition, the fact that he's such a fantastic pilot despite everything that was stacked against him (and despite being put down for trying to do what he did by his peers and his instructors - listen to his story about why he's called Joker in ME again. The nickname wasn't intended to be a friendly one.) The game does a fantastic job of portraying that, and of portraying him staying awesome and succeeding despite all of that and not curling up into a little ball of bitterness. He's a fantastic character and I want him to have all of the good things.
And this essay by
...
Okay. So, my reaction to it is this.
I agree with the vast majority of points here, but there is one implication that I think unintentionally snuck in, or perhaps it's just a difference in interpretation - it's very hard to say. But either way I would like to put forth an alternate opinion about Joker and EDI and the possibility of any sort of actual relationship between them.
This is where I disagree (added emphasis is mine:)
EDI is a piece of pseudo-sentient equipment. EDI is like a more advanced version of Microsoft Sam with a learning algorithm and server rooms full of processors and shit.
One of the big subjects of commentary in ME2 was the distinction between artificial intelligences and organic lifeforms. It became far more immediately relevant in ME2 than it was in ME; in ME the AIs were almost always antagonists that Shepard had to destroy by one means or another. In ME2 we were interacting with EDI on a regular basis, who was introduced to us early on, and later we gained a squad member from one of the most hated groups of AIs in the entire galaxy and started learning that they aren't nearly as black-and-white as they seem, and in fact have suffered from many of the same divisions that warring factions of organic civilizations have suffered. In-universe, some characters have put forth the idea that maybe instead of wholly imitative beings, these so-called "artificial" beings have become sapient in their own right and deserve to be treated as such - perhaps even as equal to the organic intelligences of the galaxy. (I am NOT saying that this excuses all of their crimes, just that a crime by an AI should be treated in the same way as the same crime by another sapient being. But that's another post.)
So yes, pairing Joker with EDI because it is "so cute" can have unfortunate implications due to Joker's disability and EDI being an AI with no real physical form; it can give the unintentional impression that the author/artist believes that Joker, being literally a brittle person, can't handle human contact, and therefore needs to be in a relationship with someone who can't physically harm him even accidentally. I can see that being a huge issue, and it would need to be addressed. However. I would also like to put forth the suggestion that perhaps suggesting that Joker/EDI is inherently and irreparably problematic because EDI is an AI and not a "real person" is also problematic in terms of how AIs are treated in ME2 - that it suggests that no matter what the game shows, or what anyone (including EDI) believes, EDI cannot and will never be "real." That an AI, even when everything that they do in the game indicates otherwise, will never have the same status as an organic life form. The first game was already full of that point of view; I'd like to see more movement away from it.
Is that the case? Is that the point that the game is trying to make? I don't know; someone else playing the game might come to a completely different conclusion from mine (and I admit that since the reactions that I personally related to for Shepard were Paragon, my reaction is immediately skewed towards trying to understand/negotiate/reason with these new intelligences.) One would really have to ask the game's writers what they were trying to portray here. But I do think that there's room for interaction between Joker and EDI - not because Joker "can't get anyone else" or is too afraid of getting hurt, but because EDI is just coming into her own as a person, and because she trusts Joker and wants to share that with him. Because no matter what one might think about their relationship, there's no doubt that by the end of the game, they hold a lot of trust for each other.
[One last note: I don't know if is really necessary, but when I ship Joker with anyone it's usually Shepard, sometimes Tali or Kaidan, and occasionally Chakwas or Kelly; I'm not a huge fan of Joker/EDI, because I like those other pairings more. So this isn't the reaction of a Joker/EDI fan who wants to defend the ship; this is the reaction of someone who enjoyed seeing how AIs were portrayed and presented in ME2 and would like to put that on the table.]
