The Science of Mass Effect - Dark Energy and Worm Holes - Extra Credits

Wanna learn more about 80's sci-fi? Please go support the "In Search of Tomorrow" documentary over at www.kickstarter.com/projects/...
Thanks to the help of guest writer and astrophysicist Erin Macdonald, writer of the Science of Sci Fi (adbl.co/2yRxVWK), this Extra Credits is going to be a little unusual. Have you ever wondered how rooted the science in scifi really is? Well in Mass Effect's case, there's actually some very solid ground. We'll be talking about how the Mass Effect relays work and what the theoretical working behind element zero is, and how, if we could replicate those effects using real elements like dark energy, we might also be able to date some aliens. ... What do you mean that wasn't the point of Mass Effect?
Want to hear more of Erin Macdonald's work? You can find her website here www.erinpmacdonald.com or catch her on twitter @drerinmac
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[@awesomehpt8938]

I’m Commander Shepard and this is my favourite extra credits video on KZbin.

[@CYB3Redux]

hah

[@talhahtaco2035]

Your not commander Shepard your Harry to sley

[@rmeddy]

"The Protheans basically took two points in space-time and stapled them together" Sovereign has entered the chat

[@Roboshi2007]

was gonna say. But then again you could say the protheans is just a name and Javiks race are not the true heir to that name but that the true Protheans are the race that build the first reaper.

[@guisampaio2008]

Not not mention he is wrong, that's nit how it works, the answer is "corridor of zero mass"

[@ZehnWaters]

SPOILERS!

[@SG-jh5yh]

@@guisampaio2008 As I understood the in game explanation of that corridor, it functions like a wormhole constructed through normal space rather than around it, basically shortening the corridor's overall length rather than the traditional wormhole's avoiding that interstitial space entirely.

[@Duke_of_Petchington]

Roboshi the issue is with that is the Protheans have already been established in canon as javiks race, the origin Race that were harvested by the intelligence was the leviathans. Whom could travel through space without a ship.

[@szymonboniecki5192]

"Protheans basically took two points in space-time and stick them together" Angry Reaper's horn noises

[@christopherfleetwood5252]

szymon boniecki HOOOOOONK!!!

[@user-wv8lb8yf8v]

Well, they did manage to make their own relay at the very end of things, so technically it was not wrong.

[@OnionChoppingNinja]

ah yes "reapers"...

[@Chaotic-Star-3-6-9]

OnionChoppingNinja that fucking line boils my blood everytime 🤣🤣

[@amandasmith593]

@@OnionChoppingNinja I'm still annoyed that, when he comes to you for help in the 3rd game, you can't just look Sparatus in the eye and throw those words back at him.

[@thesephiam]

My favorite scene in mass effect is a discussion on how Newton is the most dangerous SOB in galaxy, when talking about the effects of faster than light projectiles have on planets.

[@gundamheavyarms4879]

That would be the gunnery sergeant on the Citadel in Masss Effect 2 talking to two recruits if I remember correctly.

[@blaster915]

That was a CLASSIC!! 😂😂

[@edoardoprevelato6577]

Love the gunny sarge absolutely bitchslapping basic phisics into the marine's head.

[@Vitalis94]

Good quote. Although I remember how I thought about it just after - does every shot hit something in space? Turns out, it's highly unlikely. Space is so mind blowingly big that the chances of actually hiting anything outside of your immidiate target are tiny.

[@alexanderchipman9571]

YOU HAD BETTER BE SURE WHOSE DAY YOU'RE WRECKING WHEN YOU FIRE THAT GUN!

[@notthetsar438]

comes here to get away from studying physics EC: and now, how physics work

[@pirksaddict]

In fairness, the science behind the science fiction was compelling enough to get the attention of Buzz Aldrin.... ultimately resulting in him becoming the narrator for games 2 and 3.

[@wesselvandaele4267]

yeah, but they make it fun

[@khigh16]

@@wesselvandaele4267 exactly

[@kami-._kazi]

NO WAY I'm literally avoiding doing my physics lesson right now

[@paulgaither]

Because of the quarantine, I have been replaying ME 1 and now 2. Then, this comes out. Yesterday I finally got my achievements for beating ME1 on Insane + completing 75% with the Turian & the Quarian + reaching level 60.

[@thevoidlookspretty7079]

This video is: 1 Part science. 2 Parts shipping the entire ship.

[@GunnarClovis]

Mass Effect has always been my favorite science fiction setting, largely because of its very grounded scientific explanations of its workings with Element Zero. Their explanations of FTL travel, artificial gravity, shielding, biotics, weaponry (how their guns shave off tiny slivers of a material), all their technology, and of course the wonderful characters and incredible lore of the various races, etc., just makes it so fantastic.

[@freakymoejoe2]

grounded being a relative term here. It very much still earns the "space opera" moniker, rather than hard sci-fi

[@SuperboyLilly]

Were you a Paragon, Renegade, or both? And who is your favorite romance?

[@Star-Commander-Vong]

I mean, the FTL explanation was still bullshit, but y'know.

[@KasumiRINA]

@@freakymoejoe2 Space Opera has nothing to do with hardness of Sci-fi, it's just a subgenre that focuses on epicness, war, politics and romance in contrast to sci-fi that focuses on social satire and application of technology like the works of Ray Bradbury, H.G. Wells or Phillip k. Dick. There is space opera on the harder side, like Mass Effect, which tries to explain the physics, and there is fantasy IN SPACE like Star Wars with knights, princesses and samurai dragons in a breather mask. Any sci-fi that tells of epic heroics between bedding bleu-skinned babes and space wars on a large scale is Space Opera by default.

[@farisanwari777]

​@@KasumiRINAwell said

[@addisonrahn7984]

“Let’s hope they got things right about the Protheans.” Cue race of sentient machines hellbent on wiping out all sentient life from the galaxy. Just in time for May 2020.

[@maxk4324]

Scientists: We call it "dark energy" because we know nearly nothing about it or how it works short of its observable effects Writers: So what you're saying is that it's free real estate.

[@michaelalangordon6120]

I'm disappointed you didn't end this video "I Should Go"

[@christopherfleetwood5252]

Big mood

[@andrefilipe9042]

"We will bang ok?"

[@jumpinggorilamaster]

Grunt

[@michaelalangordon6120]

@@jumpinggorilamaster Shhhhheeeppperrrrrddd

[@TheRealGuywithoutaMustache]

Mass Effect has one of the most fascinating narratives and setting in a game, I'm grateful that you covers this and hope for other games like Halo maybe

[@patrickstar1723]

Dammit y are u everywhere

[@gnomsrepnay]

You

[@thevoidlookspretty7079]

Icy Hot He just shows up everywhere! I just noticed him last night but I’ve seen him all over the place!

[@Rehteal]

I suggest trying Pyre if you want a superior narrative and setting. I've personally always felt Mass Effect as being fairly shallow to make it accessible to a broad audience. Like Star Wars.

[@denzelsmashsymptom4264]

I don't like Jellal in fact I despise Fairy tail...

[@dbrokensoul]

I remember being blown away by their Codex about Mass Effect itself and the Eezo. The idea is really sound and makes a good sense. I'm really amazed by the fact that simply by inventing one fictional Elements they could make the whole space society exist. Telekinesis? Eezo. FTL travel? Eezo. guns? Eezo. Artificial gravity? Eezo. And it's not lazy writing too, since the explaination of eezo does make sense for all those application. I tip my hypothetical hats to the writers who came up with the idea.

[@michaelalangordon6120]

Thank you so much. I love Mass Effect. Please do more on Mass Effect.

[@simple-commentator-not-rea7345]

For example, explain the potential scientific accuracy of Biotics

[@LordHypertronUniversum]

0:12 - Ah, I see you're a man of culture as well.

[@darkblaze1594]

Also 7:17

[@Eramiserasmus]

I love Mass Effect. The mix of hard and soft sciences is great. I still play through it every summer.

[@dajolaw]

6:30 - I'm assuming this is an intentional attempt to avoid spoilers and not a mistake about the lore.

[@templar684]

Considering the depiction of prothean is from me3, you can assume it is to avoid spoilers and spending ten more minutes explaining the plot.

[@TheDakkaman]

dajolaw *SPOILERS* . . . . . Regarding the “Protheans did it”, to be fair that is one of the better twists in the first game, so them not wanting to spoil is acceptable since it doesn’t end up affecting the mechanics one way or another. Regarding the “it’s wormholes” hand-wave, from the perspective of someone unfamiliar with the series (you know, tasteless heathens) the mechanics of the Relays are close enough to a wormhole that using that common knowledge concept is much faster than an explanation that would tack on at least another minute and likely a few expensive pieces of art, so the shortcut is understandable. Amusingly enough though, this video did make me realize that the mini-relay from the first game doesn’t makes sense without wormholes, unless there was somehow a straight line from the surface of Ilos all the way to an atmospherically-sealed point on the Citadel, which means Shepard was already some bullshit kind of luck for that alone.

[@ZehnWaters]

@@TheDakkaman If it wasn't finished before the invasion how'd they even get it onto the Citadel?

[@Nipplator99999999999]

@@ZehnWaters easy, the same way it got Shepard on the Citadel, space magic they forgot to relay to future races. It needed to exist, therefore it does.

[@aesheronanglvd3th309]

@@ZehnWaters The scientists awakens on Ilos returned and finished it when they reprogrammed the Keepers IIRC.

[@GaysianAmerican]

Also I took a biochemistry course on the chirality of amino acids. The levo amino acids of Asari, Krogan, Human, Hanar, etc really is incompatible with the dextro amino acids of the Quarian and Turians.

[@Rehteal]

I mean, that should be the very least of what you would come to expect in science fiction. The Volus, Hanar, and Elcor are more appropriate on a sci-fi level, though the fact that ANY species can share a livable environment with humans is pretty optimistic at best.

[@xhmbx9548]

Man chemistry was never my strong point but levo means left and Dextro mean right...right?

[@Bill_Garthright]

@@xhmbx9548 Dextro. :)

[@ekki1993]

@@Rehteal We don't know how many ways there are to form life. It's possible no other chemistry is better than what we have (water is very probably the best option as a solvent for life). The assumption that ours is actually the only/best shape for life, with chirality being a random variable, is as reasonable as dark energy working for a faster than light engine.

[@bronsoncarder2491]

Sure, but that doesn't necessarily mean you can't have sex with them. Just that you can't have children. Which, expecting to have children in any inter-species pairing (unless an Asari is involved) is simply unrealistic.

[@Lord_Of_Beans]

I love sci-fi games and movies that can suspend your disbelief just enough that you would think " yeah that might be possible at some point in the future"

[@safe-keeper1042]

Maybe no entirely on topic, but Subnautica had this effect on me. Both the underwater terrain and creatures are (for the most part) portrayed and described in such a way that you get the impression they could really exist. As for the terrain, I often find myself looking at it and thinking, "hmm, I think I know how this landscape formation came to look like this", as if it had really been formed by tectonic shifts or volcanic activity over countless millenia.

[@danvzare6201]

And then there's Sci-Fi that makes you amazed that the writer managed to predict rocket launchers, drones, and even online shops, all before World War 2. Armageddon 2419 A.D. is a truely incredible book. A good read too.

[@PainCausingSamurai]

I miss the Mass Effect series. I was really fond of the Normandy crew.

[@SuperboyLilly]

Mass Effect is not over.

[@PainCausingSamurai]

@@SuperboyLilly I specifically miss the original trilogy. Not a slight against Andromeda (never played it), but I miss my version of Shepherd, the crew dynamic with Tali, Legion, Garrus, Wrex, Liara, Mordin, Grunt, the Reapers as an antagonist, and the weird and funny culture clashes between the different alien races.

[@Toonrick12]

@@SuperboyLilly To EA it is.

[@tambarijohnson9428]

@@SuperboyLilly It is if it's not the Normandy crew

[@Dude_Abides]

No..but without the Normany crew, it doesnt feel the same.

[@pinkdogroslyn8832]

That is the cutest Garrus I have ever seen.

[@paulgaither]

What is the most difficult part of treating a Turian who took a rocket to the face? Figuring out which side took the rocket.

[@zedx50]

"one can only hope they were right about the protheans too" uhh, no, i'd rather NOT live through the contact wars. I love turians, but pls, i don't want them towing asteroids towards Earth. ty.

[@Luke_Danger]

Oi. It was the KROGAN who threw asteroids at the turians. The turians just prefer to avoid fighting the same war twice.

[@TheDakkaman]

But...but if no Turians then how would we bro/bed (according to preference) down with Best LizardBird Boi Garrus? Surely that’s worth a crater or two?

[@OnionChoppingNinja]

or gods forbid the reaper invasion...

[@Zeratul1005]

I'm so happy extra credits is doing Mass Effect stuff, one of my favourite video game fictions of all time.

[@umjackd]

"PRIVATE! What is Newton's First Law?! No credit for partial answers!"

[@TheGrimmGamer]

Uncle Dan Never forget that Sir Isaac Newton is the deadliest son of a bitch in space.

[@Damocles16]

"Stay away from apple trees?... SIR !!!"

[@bastardbambi]

Inertial systems of measurement exist.

[@davyt0247]

An object in motion stays in motion, unless acted upon by an outside force, Sir!

[@Iacapuca]

That's not how you represent negative and positive voltage, hahaha. That picture of the battery with a single wire is the nightmare of any Electric Engineer.

[@CWRules]

It's worse than that: He didn't say positive and negative voltage, but positive and negative CURRENT. Most of Mass Effect's science isn't bad, but this one aspect is VERY wrong.

[@Iacapuca]

​@@CWRules I dont think it is a Mass Effect error, I guess Extra Credits just mistake Voltage and Current, which is a common mistake. But anyway, the picture is completely wrong, hahaha.

[@nimbulan2020]

A bit of a correction: An atomic bomb only releases about 6% of the energy contained within the fuel, not all of it. An antimatter reaction would be required to release 100% of the energy, and would be nearly 17x as powerful.

[@chakatfirepaw]

That's why he talked about a spoonful of matter, which is a tiny fraction of the mass involved in the reaction.

[@jonathanfaber3291]

Catch me shoving unhealthy amounts of dark energy into my body to become the first Biotic user

[@jeffbenton6183]

That's not how dark energy works

[@edoardoprevelato6577]

Eezo exposition and injection causes biotics, and that's if you are lucky enough not to die out of sheer radiation exposure or/and horrible eezo tumors in your brain. Then you would be discriminated worse than hebrews during nazi regime, and would be forced to join the military out of survival, where you would be dissected for years before becoming a living weapon to throw around as they please.

[@strangent404a7]

@@jeffbenton6183 yeah we would technically all become biotec users because of all the dark energy passing through us 24/7

[@razer666L]

@@jeffbenton6183 Hush, you. Jonathan Faber here could be another biotic god! #greatbioticwind #redsandjunkie :P

[@amandasmith593]

Pretty sure that would just give you cancer. Eezo exposure in womb can lead to either biotics or birth defects, but exposure later in life just straight up kills you.

[@ViolosD2I]

What I found even more remarkable than explaining all their science fu with the introduction of the mass effect was that they also thought realistically about space battles. From stealth being about masking heat radiation and the biggest issue for combatants being to get rid of heat in "cold" empty space to the fact that you need to force engagements near important targets because you can't track or intercept anyone when moving at relativistic speeds.

[@Gala-yp8nx]

I’m Commander Shepard and this is my favorite video on KZbin.

[@tehbeard]

Don't the mass relays work as an upscaled version of a starship eezo FTL core, not as wormhole generators? (something about them generating a mass-free corridor between the relays? ) I'm not sure how the lore/fluff deals with interstellar medium or larges masses on the "flight path" though.

[@yalelingoz6346]

Great video It feels like Erin Macdonald is explaining about 50% of the reason I fell in love with Mass Effect, that under the fun space opera is solid speculative fiction. Starting with a few changes in reality like "what if Eezo exists and works this way" and following it to it's conclusions: FTL travel; personal and ship shielding; the Mako; artificial gravity; guns being just mass drivers (so the ammunition is just a block of stuff, and the amount used to small as to be negligible over the time period of the game); heavy weight drones.

[@talideon]

Beside Eezo, the other "big lie" of Mass Effect is the idea that there's a real thing called "negative current". There isn't. The closest you could get to this _maybe_ being a thing would be if the 'negative' and 'positive' bits referred to the charge carrier, with one referring to electrons and the other to positrons, but then you're not longer dealing with an _electrical_ current.

[@MoiMagnus1er]

An easier explanation would be to have Eezo be a profoundly asymmetric particle, that with all the Eezo particles naturally aligning themselves in the same direction and orientation when near each others, like small magnets. Then "negative current" and "positive current" would just be "current upward" and "current downward" with respect to this direction.

[@Nipplator99999999999]

@@MoiMagnus1er not being sarcastic, but isn't that the reason for using crystals in old radios?

[@DangNguyen-xx3zi]

I always assumes this means pumping negative or positive charge into the eezo

[@Sarindanvelor]

i mean tbh in the me universe just given how their guns are basically all hyper advanced railguns i wouldn't put it past them to have the kind of particle accelerators able to mass produce large amounts of antimatter like that though tbh that then beg's the question of why not just nuke the reapers with some heavy pair annihilation

[@zotaninoron3548]

@@DangNguyen-xx3zi Yes, basically. If I recall correctly, eezo would build up negative or positive charge depending on function and would occasionally need to use something like a gas giant to dump the build up. At least I very strongly recall that being flavor text on some planets.

[@ROBANN88]

Um, Mass Relays are not wormhole generators. they're giant Slingshots.

[@joshc1386]

Didn’t they create some kinda hollow space between other relays to facilitate the 1000s of LY traveled. No source, it’s been a while.

[@NoFlyZone31]

They create a tunnel that anything that enters it has no mass, or even negative mass.

[@Fyrebrand18]

Joshua Chambers They channel a mass effect field down a straight line in space, normally to another Mass Relay, basically creating a, relatively speaking, narrow corridor where everything has inside has zero mass, allowing ships of massive tonnage to travel at light speeds.

[@IndrasilDesignStudio]

@@Fyrebrand18 FTL* speeds

[@TheDakkaman]

Joshua Chambers As Juan Paolo says, you are correct in that there is a tunnel created between relays, but in physics and sci-fi the term ‘wormhole’ normally only applies to such a connection when the tunnel itself exists outside the normal fabric of reality, so the fact that ME ships (and that one badass tank) travel through every single inch of the intervening space is generally considered to be a disqualifier for the title of ‘wormhole’. That said, the concepts are similar enough that the term is useful for the sake of avoiding a digression like this one.

[@swordsman1_messer]

Got Mass Relays wrong. They aren’t wormholes; they’re literally mass drivers that massively boost the acceleration (and thus travel distance) of ships in the universe. The cutscenes used when traveling between system clusters in game clearly show the relays pouring energy into the ships. So, in actuality, relays act like supercapacitors, adding additional negative charge to ships (there are civilian shuttles that are FTL capable but would certainly not have power generation on par with military ships), and allowing them to reach FTL much easier.

[@azrieljale]

I like how he did not acknowlege the existence of Mass Defect: Andromeda

[@SuperboyLilly]

It was a good idea, but it was executed poorly.

[@BlackWallMute]

if you play "mass defect" now you will probably see that it a good game now that they fixed the mess they made. Its very sad that bioware did not believe in the game as everything is there to be its own trilogy but sadly we will never get to see that.

[@6038am]

Is that a fan story, never heard of it? if only... Thanks EA

[@BlackWallMute]

@@SuperboyLilly well the developers did everything in their power to bring us the story. It was Bioware that did not believe in it. the game had a very rough start that sadly killed it. It is a good idea and still is and showed very much promise with both depth and length. the smaller studio who made the game went to lengths that we rarely see nowadays. Don't wright the game off based on its rocky launch. Play it and give it a chance now that they have patched it. i went in fully expecting a fuckfest and disappointment and bland 2D carathers but was charmed and amazed by what they accomplished the depth and length they went to establish Andromeda as a universe was an amazing effort.

[@TheDakkaman]

Considering how the Relays aren’t a thing in that one, it’s understandable from more than a ‘corner of shame’ perspective too.

[@brandonkelley6500]

It has been YEARS since I played Mass Effect and I never even finished number 3. I had been thinking about giving it a marathon play through and this video is enhancing my desire.

[@DracoGalboy]

Only looked at the title and was taken aback when I didn't hear strings and "Dear Bungie" for the intro

[@LordBloodySoul]

I love all of the Science in this game. Every little bit is just giving me euphoria xD

[@elitecorsair]

I loved the story universe of Mass Effect. There is So much potential for further development of that universe through games or even a Netflix series.

[@kgw2085]

I have been waiting for this one Thank you so much

[@Dramatic_Gaming]

The 'glued-down bowling ball' analogy is actually a good description of how the mass relaus work rather than calling them wormholes. The relays create tunnels of negative mass space that ships can fly through at FTL speed rather than simply teleporting from one point to another. It's pointed out repeatedly that FTL travel still takes time, and it's why multiple relay jumps are needed to travel the galaxy rather than pointing right at your target and blasting you off. Gotta avoid stars or hitting planets & proving why Sir Isaac Newton is the deadlieat son of a bitch in space.

[@redbluesandmoons7478]

I love how Extra credits explains things like society,biology,ecosystems,and science using games,It's great stuff!

[@andrewgutmann9432]

3:28 No, nuclear bombs do not work this way. They are fusion/fission reactions, not matter annihilation reactions. They release the nuclear bonding energy (the energy equal to the rest mass lost when protons and neutrons bind) of nuclei, not the entire mass energy. That would require antimatter, and would be orders of magnitude more powerful.

[@placeholder1308]

i think he meant that a teaspoon of mass contains as much energy as a hydrogen bomb

[@Darasilverdragon]

I'm fairly sure they know that - the amount of fusible material in a thermonuclear bomb is considerably more than a teaspoon, or whatever they said in the video. That teaspoon measurement is intended to represent the aggregate mass lost by all the quadrillions of atoms participating in the reaction process - because at the end of the day, you are in fact seeing particles lose some small fraction of mass, and getting more energy output than the strong nuclear force can account for. There IS mass-energy conversion going on in fusion and fission.

[@Dr.CaveCurinas]

@@placeholder1308 Assuming Uranium as the material in the teaspoon, this would give a total mass energy of ~8.56*10^15 Joules

[@RialuCaos]

Fairly sure it's just a simplification to avoid having to explain all of the nuclear science in this video.

[@Marinanor]

@Extra Credits , if you are doing requests, I'd absolutely love to see you do "The Science of Babylon 5"! :D

[@christopherrector5886]

This litteraly just made my day! Thanks for putting out such awesome content ExtraCredits!

[@OmusKnowsAll]

I'm glad you covered the fact that if you bend over backwards to be scientifically accurate, you run the risk of trapping yourself narratively; disallowing creative scifi elements (not always literal elements).

[@whimsy5623]

Negative mass is how the Alcubierre warp drive works

[@franchufranchu119]

Corrections: 3:27 Hydrogen bombs arent 100% efficient Also, a battery cant generate current with only one terminal connected

[@kgw2085]

Also, you guys should do a combo with over simplified

[@yiranchia8683]

We love these Mass effect science lore vids! Please make more! :D

[@Torus2112]

IMO Element Zero is one of the best sci fi concepts ever. It's so elegant; one new element that has a single, straightforward new physical property which makes all the sci fi technology in the setting possible is something I don't think I've ever seen before, even though it's the most true to life in terms of how scientific understanding is used to create new technology.

[@fandomcake5158]

Loving physics lesson here but also loving the cute designs y'all did on ME characters ✨

[@andrewk9267]

Don't scroll through these comment unless you're ok with spoilers. This video did a really good job of presenting Mass Effect concepts and knowledge without spilling secrets

[@jasonyoungberg2115]

Great job, Erin Macdonald! Fantastic episode!

[@shawnheatherly]

As a fan of Extra Credits, Mass Effect and a backer of the In Search of Tomorrow Kickstarter, this video was basically made for me.

[@vidim888]

Came for Extra Credits video. Got Extra Sci-fi video. Still happy.

[@nalikepanda4006]

I waited for this video for so long, I could have traveled to the citadel by now.

[@fuzzylogic7788]

Now I want to go start my 70th or so playthrough of the series. So thanks for that...

[@paulgaither]

2:49 - "ludicrous speed" - I see your Space Balls reference. In 2020, that is becoming a deep cut. There are adults who were born after 9/11. Let that sink in.

[@christopherg2347]

0:20 Definitely solid. Anything short of the Mass Effect generation itself, is entirely hard science fiction.

[@thepro8447]

oh my god thank you for doing mass effect

[@GeneralLuigiTBC]

"Mass Effect: the epic single-player space opera that positions the player as Commander Shepard, the savior of the galaxy (one hopes) over the course of a three-part series." I'd say you're forgetting Andromeda, but something tells me you just chose not to mention it. Whether or not you were right to do so is something I don't consider myself qualified to judge, as I've never played it (though I've certainly seen and heard a fair number of people harp on it).

[@jaydenliberty9536]

General Luigi Andromeda, No Man’s Sky, and a bunch of other games suffered from an unfortunate situation. The short version is that they are functional and even very, very good games today. But people don’t tend to even consider giving games that launch with problems like they had a second chance. (Or in other words, people make final judgements VERY QUICKLY after creating first impressions, and games that are good *now*, that don’t *launch* good, will always be hated as a buggy and broken game, even if every break has been patched and every bug has been squished since then)

[@freakymoejoe2]

it's an alright game, but it's weaker than the main trilogy in almost every way and that's not even mentioning the cavalcade of hilarious bugs that caught the internet by storm (most notably the facial animations, which were so bad EC did a whole episode dedicated to dissecting why it was so awful)

[@lillianhaskins1667]

I've played it! I feel while it doesn't hold up to the trilogy, it was more or less supposed to be it's own story. I liked it, and I'm hopeful that it'll get future games. People (mostly from what I saw) harped on the facial animations but I think they patched those

[@adrienconverset6571]

Short version : technically meh for a AAA game. Story is meh too. Menus seem to be good for console but between meh and shitty for pc. Mechanics ... let's just say it has little to no replay value, even though it's technically a RPG (spells, inventory and weaponry-wise) Only two powers available at any time, no more class, and so on. Bosses are just big health sacks, no real outplay or "logic" behind them. The most annoying part imo is the triggers that spawn enemies for no reason. Story-wise it's weak. Mechanics-wise, it feels off about itself, kinda like BioShock Infinite. Technically it's ok but nothing amazing. So ... yeah.

[@RialuCaos]

Andromeda was alright. It had potential and could've been much better, but I believe it was managed poorly, which translated into a relatively subpar product. I do think all of the criticism of it is a bit overdone, and most people avoided playing it just because of that.

[@beeheroin9402]

Cant wait for waiting for 5+ years for ME5! :D

[@ZehnWaters]

I appreciate your remixed Sonic level theme at the end.

[@laszlokaszas1003]

IDK if anyone will read this but here we go: I don't know anything about Mass Effect lore (shame on me) but I understand a little bit physics. I don't want to underestimate the writters but they were so close to be accurate that it bugs me. Using dark to gain "negative mass" isn't a bad idea (thought Im pretty sure the spaceship would break to atoms or even smaller) but using dark energy AND dark matter is a potencail way to travel FTL, and some scientist speculate that it can be done in our universe. First, you put the zero element in the top and bottom of the spaceship. In the front you generate dark matter, in the back you gererate dark energy. Second, the dark matter "pulls space-time in", so the planets "get closer". Dark energy "push space-time away" so the planets in the "farter away". Third, this this would create a "wave" in space-time and the spaceship basicly surfs in it. And lastly space-time can exptend FTL (like in the Big Bang) so if you create a big enough wave the ship can travel FTL. If someone is more educated and I wrote some BS comment. Grammar error due to English not being my first language.

[@SeanCrosser]

AFAIK a lot of this is basically countered by narrative in the games. Eezo is quite scarce (and I presume either volatile?), so you can't make entire things out of them. They're only ever used as mass effect field generators, and ship propulsion still relies on fuel drives. Dark energy is a handwavey explanation for why Eezo works, the tech doesn't actually manipulate dark energy or dark matter. And most importantly: all of the near-light speed travel options and most of the derivative technology is based upon being compatible with what amounts to pre-existing space railroads. The races don't make airplanes because they have railroads, so they make trains.

[@seamuspink9098]

This video is 50% lore 50% dating sim

[@Fu3R4]

Mass effect is my favorite game series. Yes I even liked Andromeda but I am biased. Shame we never got a second. Extra points to you guys for not spoiling anything while exploring the mechanics of the universe!

[@SuperboyLilly]

ME5 is being made as we speak.

[@kevinwilliamenriquez2641]

This made me so happy. :)

[@HeavensSeeker1]

1:43 That battery connection though lol

[@morthasa]

6:44 - Awesome Innerspace reference! (Maybe. Even if not, it's really reminescent of that movie)

[@tobys7026]

Nice video extra credits team!

[@Sheamu5]

I'm so glad you only called it a trilogy and didn't mention Andromeda.

[@T0mN7]

"When did you become a Ezo Masa Effect physics expert?" "Last night"

[@zmbates99]

Erin McDonald!! You go! I've got to remember to say awesome job next time I see her.

[@VersusMadrid]

Oh man! And so much more science to talk about that they got right! Like using Quantum Entanglement for instant galaxy spanning communication!

[@markallen6284]

How the hell did you know I started my Insanity run yesterday?

[@The-rc9cm]

AAAHHH YES UPLOAD

[@TheGrimmGamer]

The Mass Effect trilogy was/is so damn good. I still mention it from time to time because it had that much of a positive impact on me.

[@safe-keeper1042]

Extra Credits staff: no, we're not doing more Extra Sci-Fi. Now if we can get back on topic, what should our next episode be about? Disgruntled Extra Sci-Fi writer: er, um... oh, Mass Effect! And our angle will be how this sci-fi game portrays science! Extra Credits staff: ...wait a sec.

[@BTNMNKI]

I kinda love how lazily the Krogans are drawn 😄

[@BlueDog241]

I came for a discussion about video games. I stayed for a lesson in science!

[@fullmetalkahn]

Dude, I just started Mass Effect for the first time this week! What are the odds?

[@Kablamityful]

8:09 [Faint cries of 'This City' in the background intensify]

[@michaelwoods2672]

I recently played the first Mass Effect and, while I absolutely loved it and can't wait to try the other two, I did find its scince fiction occasionally frustrating. While it does a pretty incredible job of explaining its own super-advanced technology, there are some technologies that seem inevitable at this point (and did in 2007) that are conspicuously absent. It's a minor thing in most cases, but the main campaign hinges around convincing the Galactic Council that one of their own agents is corrupt and the only evidence you find of this is a partial audio recoding on a mostly destroyed disk. Fortunately for us, audio engendering is no better in the Cititdel than was in the late 2000s and the possibility that this recoding is not genuine never occurs to anyone.

[@sErgEantaEgis12]

Liara drawn in the Extra Credits art style is pure cute.

[@OmniSzron]

Didn't even mention the quantum entanglement communication. Still a great watch.

[@PureAwesamness]

Everyone who played the Mass Effect games heard EC hoping for Mass Relays and immediately broke out in a cold sweat because their existence would imply the existence of something a lot spookier. XD

[@cball11]

Oh man you guys were so close. Mass Relays are absolute not wormhole generators, they're Mass Effect slingshots. They work together to generate a channel of extreme negative-mass space. It isnt a teleporter, its a slipstream.

[@itxi]

The first game seemed to be written by a bunch of hardcore science geeks who really went to town on the possible uses of Mass Effect

[@cmdrscully]

Yes. All the yes. Absolute yes. To the final frontier. The aliens wait. Heheheh. Great video. And fascinating.

[@partyjams]

I was expecting some information on dark energy. It was still an okay video

[@rashkavar]

So, there's a problem with the physics you seem to have glossed over, though there are a couple of solutions to it. You can't attach a positive electrical current to something. Electricity is the flow of electrons - negative charges, from a negatively charged pole to a positively charged one. Thus, can't make mass with electricity even with Element Zero (a neutral charge will attract both positive and negative charges, so that aspect is not an issue for the electrical flow). Solution 1: use antimatter and positrons. Antimatter works great for this, because it's just like matter, but opposite charges. The equivalent of a proton has a negative charge, and the orbiting smaller charges are positively charged - positrons. Electricity flowing through something made of antimatter would be a flow of positive charges toward the negative pole, which would work for Element Zero. Thing is, your pile of Element Zero is matter, not antimatter. And matter and antimatter get very, _very_ excited when they meet. So much so that they explode with the kind of force that makes the inventor of the hydrogen bomb green with envy. And they leave nothing behind. Whenever a particle of matter and a particle of antimatter meet, they both convert entirely to energy. Now, the obvious solution is to just use the antimatter equivalent of Element Zero (Antizero, let's call it.) But the thing is, antimatter reverses the way its properties work - it's called that because it's literally the opposite of matter. So Antizero should probably flip the way its mass effect works, and reduce mass on a positive charge. Still not adding any mass, just removing it. Solution 2: use a particle beam firing ionized hydrogen. Hydrogen's nucleus is a free-floating proton, so when you ionize it' it's just a moving positive charge. It's _much_ heavier than an electron and will not behave appropriately in an electrical wiring system, but given sufficiently advanced technology, firing a stream of protons at a target would not be overly difficult. The free-floating proton should be easily directed toward and away from things using negative and positive charges. Presumably, firing a stream of heavier particles at a thing when you're trying to make it generate mass anyway is probably not an issue. Probably. Or you have a very powerful cutting beam that carves into it and continues on through the ship and anything else it hits. Depends how you calibrate it. Solution 3: it's not actually a positive charge moving into Element Zero that causes it to generate extra mass, it's the removal of a negative charge by connecting it to a positive charge. That is not what you're describing, and this episode is pretty science heavy, but that could be what was meant.

[@JorgePicco]

On the contrary. Astrophysics are very good at naming things.

[@SuperboyLilly]

LONG LIVE TALI'ZORAH VAS NORMANDY NAR RAYYA!!! 😍❤😍❤😍❤😍❤😍

[@patrickstar1723]

Can we talk about how hyperspace weapons in Star Wars is terrifying or sci fi plagues like blackwing virus or the flood.

[@requiemlul3140]

Can we talk about your pfp? A true man of culture!

[@patrickstar1723]

@@requiemlul3140 no u

[@Yao-fz6ie]

5:17 When the Calibrations are just right

[@plcthelegacy4131]

Oh snap! Extra Sci fi is bac- Oh never mind... Still a good episode.

[@archerbascha8757]

I noticed a certain lack of Tali in this video. I mean, she is a engineer who worked on the Ezo core. Also, Tali is best girl.

[@michaelalangordon6120]

Ash/Jack for me.

[@OmusKnowsAll]

YES!

[@charlieputzel7735]

I'd love to see you guys do an explanation of the warp drive in star trek, especially since some of the key principles were recently proven to be real.

[@Xankill3r]

You really need to do one on Sid Meier's Alpha Centauri now - just as an example of good (not necessarily *accurate*) Sci-Fi writing.