Prothean Logic

Or rather, the lack thereof, at least when it comes to Protheans showing up in Mass Effect 3.

In addition to the arguments outlined here, there are a few things I'd like to add:

1. It's mentioned in ME3 that the statues on Ilos depict Inusannon, a race from the cycle before the Protheans. That would mean that instead of remaining intact and unburied for fifty thousand years on a planet with atmosphere and organic life (already pushing the limits of plausibility), they instead survived for at least ONE HUNDRED thousand. That may be possible on a dead world like Earth's moon, but Ilos isn't a dead world (just getting close).

2. I've already established tentacle-face Protheans in my fanart and don't feel like redoing any of it.

3. Collectors are covered with so damn much chitin that they're a pain in the ass to draw.

4. Look, BioWare, I'm sorry to be so blunt about it, but COLLECTORS WITH MOUTHS LOOK FUCKING RIDICULOUS. There, I said it.

5. The Protheans in canon were very expansionist and arrogant, and doubtless would have left sculptures, paintings, and graffiti explaining how their giant dongs were more awesome than all the primitive races' combined. Explorers in this cycle are bound to have run across some of that on the various Prothean colony worlds, and figured out that's what the Protheans really looked and acted like. I'm aware there's a vast government conspiracy conclave of Asari matriarchs who suppress certain areas of knowledge (like the stuff in Athame's temple on Thessia), but they could not feasibly have tracked down EVERY single piece of art on EVERY world the Protheans ever stayed on. Occam's Razor: The simplest explanation is usually the best.

Mass Effect is ©2007–2012 BioWare, Inc. AND I STILL REFUSE TO ACKNOWLEDGE THEIR STUPID-LOOKING CANON PROTHEANS. Also, EA can go screw themselves.