Sela is emblematic of Cryptic's inability to distinguish between good and bad writing.
She's a war criminal responsible for billions of deaths. The sentient rights violations she committed as Empress actually pale in comparison, as horrifying as they were. Yet they keep acting as if anyone would give her anything but a quick death.
Pro tip: there is such a thing as the Moral Event Horizon and characters like Sela have pole-vaulted over it.
There really actually isn't a moral event horizon for some people no matter how bad their supposed deeds as it's a completely arbitrary human notion and dependent on personal perspective and cultural bias. Some eventually do realize how badly they've messed up and try to make up for it (And that does mean, genuine regret, not doing something and expecting people to forgive you afterwards, but genuine regret for what you did in the first place). Those people always deserve a chance. And the world, and universe by extension, would be a much better place if that was honored more.
She's a war criminal responsible for billions of deaths.
Except she is objectively not.
The only people responsible for the death of billions are the Iconians, a race that was older then any other except the Preservers, and the Q themselves. Who had developed technologically to the point that space travel meant nothing to them, and who had evolved biologically to the point they could live for thousands of years naturally.
For a species so developed, the pettiness required to sit on a grudge for 200 millennia is beyond childish. Especially when they chose to take out that grudge on countless civilizations who bore no relation to those that attacked them so long ago. And to take it out on Romulans as a whole instead of just Sela herself.
Sela's only crime is that of trying to stop a group of people, who were, with 100% certainty, going to kill billions in a petty war of genocide, from being able to commit that war of genocide in the first place.
How abominable of her!
Sela by attacking the iconians caused them to want retribution on the romulan people , it was explained during the mission to iconians past that there weree very few iconians left and there had not been an iconian birth in a very long time.
If sela had let them go peacfully romulas would still be around and not a debris field the iconian war would not have happened, remember the iconians up to the point where sela acted rashly were gratefull for the help given, had sela not attacked its likley the iconians wouldve never returned.
A normie goes "Oh, what's this?"
An otaku goes "UwU, what's this?"
A furry goes "OwO, what's this?"
A werewolf goes "Awoo, what's this?"
"It's nothing personal, I just don't feel like I've gotten to know a person until I've sniffed their crotch." "We said 'no' to Mr. Curiosity. We're not home. Curiosity is not welcome, it is not to be invited in. Curiosity...is bad. It gets you in trouble, it gets you killed, and more importantly...it makes you poor!"
Passion and Serenity are one.
I gain power by understanding both.
In the chaos of their battle, I bring order.
I am a shadow, darkness born from light.
The Force is united within me.
i doubt very much they would've returned on very good terms...best case, they withdraw and become extremely reclusive after being attacked by 'lesser' races as they were and not wanting to risk a repeat, and worst case, they become exceedingly xenophobic like the tholians instead of xenophilic
A normie goes "Oh, what's this?"
An otaku goes "UwU, what's this?"
A furry goes "OwO, what's this?"
A werewolf goes "Awoo, what's this?"
"It's nothing personal, I just don't feel like I've gotten to know a person until I've sniffed their crotch." "We said 'no' to Mr. Curiosity. We're not home. Curiosity is not welcome, it is not to be invited in. Curiosity...is bad. It gets you in trouble, it gets you killed, and more importantly...it makes you poor!"
Passion and Serenity are one.
I gain power by understanding both.
In the chaos of their battle, I bring order.
I am a shadow, darkness born from light.
The Force is united within me.
i doubt very much they would've returned on very good terms...best case, they withdraw and become extremely reclusive after being attacked by 'lesser' races as they were and not wanting to risk a repeat, and worst case, they become exceedingly xenophobic like the tholians instead of xenophilic
Also remember the player is the "other" who saved them from destruction, so yes i do think had they returned and sela not pissed in their wheaties in the past they wouldve been on very good terms, because the player saved them from destruction.
The Iconians are emblematic of Cryptic's inability to distinguish between good and bad writing.
Fixed that for you. So much about the Iconians is so poorly thought out if not outright mind numbingly stupid, that I am totally willing to give Sela a mulligan here.
i doubt very much they would've returned on very good terms...best case, they withdraw and become extremely reclusive after being attacked by 'lesser' races as they were and not wanting to risk a repeat, and worst case, they become exceedingly xenophobic like the tholians instead of xenophilic
Also remember the player is the "other" who saved them from destruction, so yes i do think had they returned and sela not pissed in their wheaties in the past they wouldve been on very good terms, because the player saved them from destruction.
I think they still would have waged war but its likely that they would not have targeted Romulas as much during their shadow war, its possible that they would have still attacked them but only on the same level as the klingons and fed.
"It appears we have lost our sex appeal, captain."- Tuvok
i doubt very much they would've returned on very good terms...best case, they withdraw and become extremely reclusive after being attacked by 'lesser' races as they were and not wanting to risk a repeat, and worst case, they become exceedingly xenophobic like the tholians instead of xenophilic
Also remember the player is the "other" who saved them from destruction, so yes i do think had they returned and sela not pissed in their wheaties in the past they wouldve been on very good terms, because the player saved them from destruction.
I think they still would have waged war but its likely that they would not have targeted Romulas as much during their shadow war, its possible that they would have still attacked them but only on the same level as the klingons and fed.
I think that definitely would be the case. I am almost certain Hobus was PURELY T'Kets doing, she may have completely acted without the rest of the Iconians consent in setting that up. Seems like that was purely her personal axe to grind as the other Iconians seemed much more cool headed about matters, even M'Tara.
You also have to consider what may have happened if the Hobus blast wasn't successfully stopped, even what little remained of Iconia could have been destroyed but T'Ket simply didn't give a heck about it, she just wanted revenge and to see everything "burn" as she loved to say.
You mean except for the part where she was complicit in letting the Elaachi feed on her own people. Etc.
And yes, that's illustrative of the stupidity in the story...don't get me started, there's not enough whiskey in Ireland to erase the pain....
@Venture-1. @Venture from City of Heroes if you remember that. Yes, that Venture. Yes, I probably trashed your MA arc. You'll have to be specific; for me it was Tuesday.
Comments
There really actually isn't a moral event horizon for some people no matter how bad their supposed deeds as it's a completely arbitrary human notion and dependent on personal perspective and cultural bias. Some eventually do realize how badly they've messed up and try to make up for it (And that does mean, genuine regret, not doing something and expecting people to forgive you afterwards, but genuine regret for what you did in the first place). Those people always deserve a chance. And the world, and universe by extension, would be a much better place if that was honored more.
Sela by attacking the iconians caused them to want retribution on the romulan people , it was explained during the mission to iconians past that there weree very few iconians left and there had not been an iconian birth in a very long time.
If sela had let them go peacfully romulas would still be around and not a debris field the iconian war would not have happened, remember the iconians up to the point where sela acted rashly were gratefull for the help given, had sela not attacked its likley the iconians wouldve never returned.
#LegalizeAwoo
A normie goes "Oh, what's this?"
An otaku goes "UwU, what's this?"
A furry goes "OwO, what's this?"
A werewolf goes "Awoo, what's this?"
"It's nothing personal, I just don't feel like I've gotten to know a person until I've sniffed their crotch."
"We said 'no' to Mr. Curiosity. We're not home. Curiosity is not welcome, it is not to be invited in. Curiosity...is bad. It gets you in trouble, it gets you killed, and more importantly...it makes you poor!"
True but had sela not attacked them in the past they wouldve returned on very good terms.
#LegalizeAwoo
A normie goes "Oh, what's this?"
An otaku goes "UwU, what's this?"
A furry goes "OwO, what's this?"
A werewolf goes "Awoo, what's this?"
"It's nothing personal, I just don't feel like I've gotten to know a person until I've sniffed their crotch."
"We said 'no' to Mr. Curiosity. We're not home. Curiosity is not welcome, it is not to be invited in. Curiosity...is bad. It gets you in trouble, it gets you killed, and more importantly...it makes you poor!"
Also remember the player is the "other" who saved them from destruction, so yes i do think had they returned and sela not pissed in their wheaties in the past they wouldve been on very good terms, because the player saved them from destruction.
I think they still would have waged war but its likely that they would not have targeted Romulas as much during their shadow war, its possible that they would have still attacked them but only on the same level as the klingons and fed.
"It appears we have lost our sex appeal, captain."- Tuvok
I think that definitely would be the case. I am almost certain Hobus was PURELY T'Kets doing, she may have completely acted without the rest of the Iconians consent in setting that up. Seems like that was purely her personal axe to grind as the other Iconians seemed much more cool headed about matters, even M'Tara.
You also have to consider what may have happened if the Hobus blast wasn't successfully stopped, even what little remained of Iconia could have been destroyed but T'Ket simply didn't give a heck about it, she just wanted revenge and to see everything "burn" as she loved to say.
You mean except for the part where she was complicit in letting the Elaachi feed on her own people. Etc.
And yes, that's illustrative of the stupidity in the story...don't get me started, there's not enough whiskey in Ireland to erase the pain....