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Mass Effect: Evolution #3

"Evolution, part 3"

As with all my “production notes,” consider a “Spoiler Warning” attached. Please read the books first.

Things get serious for Jack and Eva now, as they realize how Ben has been transformed by his direct contact with the Arca Monolith. Jack's own contact was secondary -- he was touching Ben as he touched the artifact -- which may or may not be the explanation for their differing responses.

The big new setting for the series was Palaven, which hadn't really been seen in detail to this degree yet. It's a martial, tradition-loving culture, and we see some of that here.

We also see that Desolas is running a bit of a cynical game on his people: posing as someone who cares about the ancient legends and myths for political gain. At the same time, he's plumbing those selfsame myths for their real-life powers they can provide him. He's a prince.

One of the challenges in writing the Turians is that they look very similar to Earthly eyes -- though not, one would expect, to other Turians. So it was helpful to have Desolas and Saren identify each other for the reader in conversation at times — and then here, to put Desolas in a cloak, to keep him distinct from Saren.

TRIVIA

• It made sense that Desolas, too, would understand Clarke's Third Law. He is, after all, using it to get political power within his own populace.
  
  
• I certainly did hear the Illusive Man — voiced by Martin Sheen — for Jack in all these stories!