Launched before the events of ME3, when the imminent Reaper invasion was not public knowledge. Privately funded, not citadel/government/shephard sponsored. It seems Bioware wants the “hopeful explorer” vibe, not the “beleaguered survivor” vibe.

I mean, everything I said was speculation, if they revealed anything about Shepard being responsible then I missed it. Though frankly I hope Shepard isn’t connected because, well, that wasn’t in the games and so it kinda influences the events looking back. But maybe that’s just me.

The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo

For a better real life example, see Istanbul, nee Constantinople, nee Byzantium. One of the world’s most prosperous cities for centuries:

Memorizing the Simon Says rules probably helped, too.

Dune. Arrakis. Dessert planet.