Mass Effect 3's ending is one of the most thought-provoking of all time. It has an immense amount of depth and I applaud Mac Walters and Casey Hudson for creating such a piece of writing brilliance. But most people didn't understand it. Even the people who claimed to understand didn't understand it. But have no fear, the Intellectual Savior will help you understand. After Shepard battles Marauder Shields, he teleports to the Citadel via energy beam elevator. Now, we can take this at face value or we can examine it further. That one scene is a metaphor for birth. When Shepard enters the elevator, he is being pushed through the birth canal. When he arrives at the Citadel, he is reborn. After traversing through the Citadel, he meets Anderson. Anderson is a father figure to Shepard. After it is revealed that Anderson is being controlled, the Illusive Man appears. Like Anderson, the Illusive Man is also a father figure to Shepard. The Illusive Man is the abusive and controlling father. Although Shepard has been reborn, he is not quite his own person yet. Each father figure is a part of him, and he is conflicted. In order to end the conflict, he must break free and choose his own path. Shepard then shoots Anderson, and either shoots or convinces the Illusive Man to kill himself. Shepard is free. After ascending to a higher plane of existence, Shepard meets the Starchild. The Starchild takes on the form of the child from the intro of the game. What's the significance you may ask? The child represents Shepard's innocence, and ghostly form of the Starchild symbolizes innocence lost. He then offers Shepard three choices: destroy the Reapers, control the Reapers, or Synthesis. Destroy is Anderson. Anderson, throughout the game, is determined to destroy the Reapers. "Either we destroy them, or they destroy us." There is no middle ground, it's only us or them. Control is The Illusive Man. The Illusive Man repeatedly states his desire to control the Reapers. He says that the destroying the Reapers is foolish. By choosing Control, Shepard goes on the same abusive path as the Illusive Man, needing absolute control of everyone and everything. Synthesis is Shepard. Shepard, ascended and not quite human anymore, creates a new solution. By choosing Synthesis, Shepard rejects Anderson and the Illusive Man and imparts his newfound independence onto the galaxy. Of course, there is another option, rejection. By rejecting his options, Shepard has not become independent. He is still a little child, unwilling to make hard decisions. He dooms the galaxy because of his inaction. Quite simply, Mass Effect 3's ending represents the child becoming an adult. It's about learning to move on from your parents and forging your own path. It is the most brilliant ending I've seen in a piece of fiction as of late, and I commend the writers for doing an excellent job. You're welcome.