An analysis of the voice lines from D.C. Douglas's Legion audition
[Potential spoilers for ME2]
So, the other day, I was browsing the internet for any interviews, commentaries, or anecdotes from D.C. Douglas in regards to his role as Legion in Mass Effect 2 (mainly out of curiosity, but also because his voice is prime ASMR material and I would never pass up an opportunity to listen to his relaxing timbre). While doing so, I stumbled upon an old video from 2015, containing some voice lines of D.C.'s original audition for Legion - well, strictly speaking, it wasn't the first one, but the call back he recorded after his initial audition. According to D.C., the first thing he submitted was a monologue, although the exact contents are unfortunately lost to us. However, since we have the fully voiced lines of the call back available (courtesy of Eric from Studiopolis), we have the opportunity to analyze the contents of these voice lines - which, as it turns out, happen to be quite interesting.
As a matter of fact, 99 % of these voice lines are completely unique and don't appear in the final game in any way, shape, or form. Although all we have is the isolated lines, we can deduce some of the context from the wording and the order of the recorded lines. Assuming that these lines were written by the ME2 staff previous to being sent to D.C. for test takes, it would mean that they were originally intended to be used in-game - and if this is the case, it would give new support to the theory that there is a huge amount of content, specifically related to Legion, that was cut from the final version.
The first thing to note is that in the audition file, Legion isn't even know as Legion yet - the recording is simply titled "D.C. Douglas - Geth", consequentially meaning that Legion's self-designation would be "Geth" as well (which, all things considered, is what they asked to be called in the first place). What follows next are some lines which seem to have been taken from a rather casual conversation with Shepard:
Most organics define themselves as social species, but insist on "personal space".
Six - six walls, including above and below. Humans do not think in three-dimensional terms.
We have noted your species is still poorly adapted to zero-gravity existence. Even aboard Normandy, you waste power creating gravity to comfort you.
My suspicion is that these are taken from a dialogue branch were Shepard inquires if they are comfortably settled in the AI core, asking if they are alright with being assigned such a tiny room (considering Legion's nature, this isn't really a concern, but it still would've been nice for Shepard to express the thought). Even though it should be clear that the term "personal space" holds no meaning to the Geth due to their nature as a Gestalt intelligence alone, the second line gives us an interesting insight into how they perceive the world around them. (It's worth noting that Legion also has combat lines where they announce the position of incoming enemies based on x-, y-, and z-coordinates, confirming their three-dimensional perception.) As for the third line, we actually know from astronauts what kind of effects continued absence of gravity has on the human body: myatrophy, blood circulation issues, and bone loss to only name a few. Although most of these issues can be reversed a short time after returning to Earth, it's still unknown whether humans would be able to adapt permanently to zero-gravity. However, if they did, we can assume they would have a hard time switching between life on a spaceship and going back to the surface of a planet, as this would require constant readaptation. (Though there's also the possibility that Legion was referring to a lifestyle exclusively onboard spaceships and space stations, like the Geth do it; either way, it's hard to tell without the context.)
Next, things get a little more interesting when it's apparent that human genetic engineering is discussed:
Human genetic engineering is sufficiently advanced to overcome those inefficiencies. You choose not to self-adapt. Why?
That's built-in obsolescence. Why does this law exist?
If we assume these lines are a continuation of the conversation above, it's possible that Legion is referring to genetic alterations that would allow humans to better adapt to a zero-gravity environment. However, as we know from the Mass Effect Codex, there's the so-called Sudham-Wolcott Genetic Heritage Act, which allows for the enhancement of qualities naturally present in humans, but prohibits manipulating the genome to gain new abilities - probably including any adaptations to weightlessness, whatever those might be (there are actually research endeavors to better understand and perhaps even cure the effects of bone loss, which would also be beneficial for people suffering from osteoporosis). When Shepard mentions the law to Legion, they are obviously confused as to why humans would actively choose not to evolve themselves if given the opportunity, as self-improvement is literally the main goal of the Geth.
Now's where things get really intriguing, because what follows are three lines that not only imply a profound discussion about the nature of humanity, but also Shepard's own self-confidence:
Ambiguous semantics - "human" is not a hardware configuration. "Human" is a set of shared experiences and assumptions - software.
The Geth believe that the Commander would be the Commander, no matter what hardware it is installed in.
Faith is belief without evidence. The Commander's core programming remains intact despite extensive hardware refit. That is evidence, and our judgement is not faith.
Going by our trail of thought from above, it could be that the reason Shepard gives why humanity abstains from extensive genetic modifications is that they would no longer be "human" otherwise. Legion, however, states that the term "human" has nothing to do with outward appearance, but rather a set of values and beliefs that all humans share - which, all things considered, is actually quite wholesome. (I guess as a neurodiverse person, this would kind of make me a "subspecies" of humanity - not that I mind, though.)
What's even more interesting is that following this, Shepard themself seems to make a comment that they don't feel quite human, which, perhaps, could be related to their revival and the Cerberus implants. (I know of quite a few fanfictions which address this topic, and I always think it's interesting to consider Shepard themself is mostly cybernetic by this point.) Meanwhile, Legion tries to ease their worries by saying they are still the Commander, no matter "what hardware they're installed in". Shepard apparently thanks Legion for their faith, but Legion affirms that their statement is based on factual data rather than pure belief. (What a way to say "No matter how much of your body was replaced, you're still human - nothing can change that.")
And lo and behold, guys: the next line is the one and only from this audition to be used in the final game (near the end of Legion's loyalty mission, to be precise):
Alert: Heretic Geth runtimes downloading to mobile platforms.
After that, we get multiple lines that seem to be intended for combat. However, what stands out here is that they were apparently meant to be used during a battle onboard the Normandy:
Boarding attack imminent; Normandy must withdraw.
Armor hull bridged; multiple attempts to burn through pressure hull: three dorsal, one ventral, one bow, two aft.
Alert: ingress at port airlock.
Activating intrusion countermeasures; sealing bridge.
Airlock turrets hot*; burnout 2-3, burnout 2-7; 2-2 destroyed.
Alert: vehicle bay breach; crew withdraw to quarters deck.
Airlock turret 2-4 destroyed; burnout 2-5.
Cargo deck clear; locking crew lift; venting drive plasma.
Yes, cargo deck is clear.
Alert: Mobile platforms closing in on the CIC. Initialize combat routines.
System link interrupted; engaging target left at 10 meters - firing.
*UPDATE: Changed "Airlock turret taut" to "Airlock turrets hot"; thanks to @deskmisfit for the tip
To be honest, I always thought that all of the squadmates leaving (like, every single one) after the installation of the IFF for an unspecified "mission" right before the Collectors hit felt a little forced - and maybe, considering the above lines, it was planned for there to be a big battle to defend the Normandy. (There are even two alternative statement/response lines about clearing out the cargo deck with plasma.) Although it's possible that these lines are taken from a fight against Heretic Geth instead (which the term "mobile platforms" seems to hint at), perhaps that means boarding battles in general were supposed to be a feature in Mass Effect 2. (Which, if you ask me, sounds like a real good asset for the gameplay.)
What follows now are the last lines from the audition (and the last of the three "theme groups" of lines) - which, going by the context, are probably the most interesting of all. The conversation is about a character named "Tina" (potentially a human girl) who appears to be in conflict with the Quarians, while Legion tries to act as a mediator (my respect for that kind of self-confidence after your history with the Quarians, friend):
Let the Geth speak. We may convince the Quarian creators to pardon Tina's father.
We do not hate your kind. We simply do not need you anymore, though we are still fascinated by you.
We record your communications. Study the music and writing you upload to the extranet. We analyze the words you left behind, the homes and structures you built for yourself. The collective mind does not understand why we do this, but I have come to a conclusion: We fill a void. An integral component of our systems is missing. You are still our creators, and we... feel your absence.
The Geth know what it is to lose creators. We have no wish to see this void in Tina.
If there's one thing I always found intriguing about the Geth, it's their attitude towards their creators - despite their history being defined by the Quarians trying to destroy them, the Geth never held any grudge against them as an organic species would. Instead, Legion repeatedly states in the game that they do not hate them (as they do in the second line above), and they even keep the old structures of Rannoch intact in memory of the Quarians. However, this is the first time that the reason behind these actions is classified as "fascination". In ME2, Legion simply says that they do research on organics because they strive to understand their creators better, but the term "fascination" carries with it something far more visceral - dare I say, even emotional - than one would normally expect from logical creatures like the Geth. Somewhat ironically, the Consensus seems to be at odds with itself regarding their relationship to the Quarians: On one hand, they claim that they no longer need them since they have evolved into their own independent species, but at the same time, they never seem to be able to truly let go of them, studying and analyzing the Quarians' writing, architecture, and music. To make things even more extraordinary, Legion - and Legion specifically - has come to their own conclusion regarding the matter. Note the "I" pronoun I marked in the third line; this indicates that this opinion, unlike everything else, is not the standpoint of the Geth collective as a whole, but Legion's own (or rather, the opinion of the amalgamation of programs that make up Legion). Moreover, Legion specifically uses the verb "feel" when describing that the Quarians' absence has caused a sense of "incompleteness", even "emptiness" among the Geth - another completely unprecedented expression of their inner thoughts. (My theory would be that since the Geth are machines built with a specific purpose in mind, this is their way to express that they feel like their existence lacks meaning without the Quarians; considering this, perhaps this is literally part of the reason why they want to build their megastructure to "create their own purpose".) To top it all off, this "feeling" of loss even seems to enable Legion to emphasize with Tina, comparing the potential death of her father to the void the Geth feel at their creators' absence.
Now, I'm generally very reluctant to humanize the Geth too much, since I feel it would be very disrespectful towards their nature. However, reading all of this, I can't help the notion that the Geth may have something like a "parent complex", for the lack of a better word. What I mean by this is on one hand, almost everyone loves and respects their parents, but on the other, you might feel kind of imprisoned by their presence once you grow up, and unless you want to live in their shadow forever, you have to break with them at some point. Still, some teenagers who were previously convinced "I can totally live without my parents!" might find themselves missing the guidance and stability they gave them. I know this probably sounds very cheesy, but I just think it's so funny how at times, the Geth seem a little like some lost kids who are just growing up and have to deal with abandonment by their parents. (Also, I think it's worth mentioning that Tali's character somewhat mirrors this: In my opinion, Tali is a character that's very prone to overestimating herself, especially during her Pilgrimage, but she regularly finds herself at the boundaries of her own abilities, so she has to rely on the help of others to achieve her goals. Furthermore, Tali also has a very ambivalent relationship with her estranged father; you can tell she respects him and does everything to gain his appreciation, but still wishes he would take more time to actually be there for her - which, ultimately, isn't meant to happen. If you were really daring, you could even deduce the conflict regarding a loveless/absent parental figure as a core theme of the Geth and the Quarians.)
Another interesting point is that in this conversation, it seems like Legion might be developing something like an own personality. Without a constant connection to the Consensus, it is possible that the programs inside Legion's chassis have formed new "synapses" among themselves, which has unwittingly led to the creation of a completely independent intellect. As Legion themself said, they have a sufficent number of programs to function on their own (a normal Geth platform simply doesn't possess enough programs to reach consciousness themselves), and the continued restriction to one single platform would also disable the possibility of personality reset like it might occur normally when transferring to a different body (as explained in the Codex entry about Geth culture). Anyway, despite the Geth's somewhat ambivalent attitude towards individuality, the discussion above might imply that Legion gradually developing their own personality was something that was planned in the early stages.
Last but not least, regarding the conversation itself, it's interesting that it actually presents a scenario where you're standing against the Quarians (which does not happen under any circumstances in the final game). In addition to this, I recently stumbled upon this compilation of Legion's voice lines from the Legendary Edition, which also appears to contain some that were unused, but are still present in the code - including the combat announcement "Creator offline" (around 1:30), which is undoubtedly referring to taking out a Quarian.* From this, there can only be one conclusion: We were originally supposed to fight Quarians at some point during Mass Effect 2. (Again, this is my opinion, but I actually think it would have put the races on more of an "even ground" - I mean, we have been fighting Turians, Asari, and Salarians the entire time. It would only be fair to assume that not all Quarians in the galaxy are kind and peace-loving.)
*EDIT: I only realized now that "creator offline" is actually referring to Tali; when Mordin dies, Legion may say "Salarian offline", when Samara dies, it's "Asari offline", and so on. "Creator" is simply what Legion uses for Tali.
If one thing is for certain, it's that Legion's character underwent a lot of changes throughout the development process. Judging by the lines from the beginning, it seems the Geth were meant to be a little more "critical" of organics at first, not really comprehending their irrational actions and openly pointing out their inefficiency. Meanwhile, in the game, they still seem quite confused by organics, but they never voice their opinion in a way that could be described as "judgmental". (Take the case of their little experiment with the star constellation, for example: In the respective conversation, Legion simply recounts what happened, but doesn't make a comment that the Salarians' premature reaction was silly or something.) All in all, the Geth act very tolerant of organics, accepting that their way of thinking is different from their own, but not deeming it invalid because of this - and aside from the few occasions where they point out the contradictions in organics' moral values (e.g. when comparing EDI's restrictions to slavery on Illium and remarking on the inconsistent treatment of animals in organic societies on Tuchanka), Legion never expresses criticism of the organic perspective in itself. As for myself, a huge part of the reason why I became attached to Legion in the first place was precisely this acceptance - a quality I wish I had experienced from more people in my own life (back when Legion came out with the quote "organics fear that which is different", I had to fight really hard not to break down into tears). The Geth are confident about their own existence, and yet, they never act aggressive towards the differing views of organics, despite not fully understanding them themselves - and since this is basically the essence of my own life principle, I must say that I like the finalized version of Legion's character more.
On the other hand, I absolutely adore the idea of an interaction between Shepard and Legion about Shepard's Cerberus implants, since I think how they're mentally dealing with their revival is just such an interesting topic to explore. In quite a few fanfics I've read, I've seen Shepard feeling alienated about their cybernetics, wondering if they're even truly "alive" at this point. Judging by the respective dialogue above, this seems to be exactly the dilemma they're going through here, and Legion joining the team would certainly add a very interesting layer to that. Maybe they could have done something similar to the conversation above, with Legion basically cheering Shepard up and helping them accept who they are - and who knows, perhaps Shepard's technological enhancements could have even led to a deeper connection between them. (This is not just me wishing I could have had something like a platonic relationship with Legion, I swear. xD)
On a similar note, I think it would have been quite interesting to see which road the writers would have taken regarding Legion's individuality. From the lines above, it's clear they're developing something like an own personality, and I wonder what Legion's reaction would be once they realize that this process is actually taking place. After all, this completely uncharted territory for the Geth, and I could imagine that while Legion goes through something like a phase of denial at first, they become very insecure - perhaps even "panicked" if you want to call it that - once they figure out that they are, in fact, developing an individual personality. Going by my train of thought from above, it might be Shepard's turn to help them through this, which may even result in some kind of mutual emotional support. (Guys, if anyone ever writes a fanfic like that, notify me immediately - I WANT TO SEE IT!)
Finally, I would have given all my money for a more detailed exploration of how the Geth actually stand towards the Quarians. They may harbor no hatred towards them, but I can imagine the Geth encountering Quarians - and, to a certain degree, other organic species - with cautious mistrust. (As a case in point, just look at how long it took Legion to finally tell Shepard that the Geth are working on a megastructure to upload their minds; they most likely judged that most organics' would react unfavorably to this information, potentially even resulting in aggression that would endanger their endeavor, so they withheld it until they were absolutely sure that Shepard's reaction would not be negative. Thus, it can be seen as a sign of immense trust from Legion to make this reveal.) Even if they don't have some sort of parent complex as I described above, I would suspect they would at least have some kind of "logical" equivalent to it, e.g. that the opinion of each program is defined by their individual experiences (some Geth might still adhere to their original function, while for others, the harm the Quarians did to them outweighs their core programming). Still, with artificial intelligence being outlawed in the whole galaxy and the Quarians attacking them 100 % of the time when they thought they could win (as stated by Legion during Tali's loyalty mission), their Gestalt intellect basically has no positive example to work with. Consequently, all the Geth would have to base their standpoint on are their own convictions, as strange as that may sound. Viewed from this perspective, the Geth schism almost seems like a battle of faith, with some of them still hoping that they might one day be able to live in peace, while others have completely given up the prospect of any coexistence with organics. (Somewhat amusingly, I actually had to think of Tron while pondering over this; in Tron, there are also those programs who have abandoned the faith in the users, while others still continue to believe in them, despite having no decisive proof that they will help them.) Maybe this dissent is what caused the Geth to split into two factions in the first place, and maybe this is why they chose such a strangely religious term as "Heretics" to denote those who turned away from the old beliefs.
Anyway, judging from the unused voice lines above, we can conclude that there formerly seems to have been a lot more content relating to the Geth in general and Legion specifically in ME2, which ultimately got cut in the final game. As for the reasons, we can only guess, but there have been rumors going around for a long time that Legion's presence in the game was supposed to be way more extensive - at the very least, it looks like you would have been able to take them on a lot of earlier missions, since Legion has recorded dialogue for those which still plays properly if they're added to the party via modding. Who knows, perhaps the Geth themselves were meant to play a much more central role in the story.
Still, you should probably take all this information with a grain of salt, as everything I'm doing here is educated speculation at best - nevertheless, I find it very interesting to explore what BioWare's original plans for Legion possibly were, as well as imagining what could have been.
