Talk:Citadel

In Works
I'm working on the article now, will be done (or as done as it gets till the 20th!) tomorrow. I'm gonna do a layout section (w/ station design + locations), defenses (self-explanatory), and more than likely a residents section focusing on the Keepers and residents of the Wards. Any input would be welcome. SpartHawg948 13:42, 8 November 2007 (UTC)

Citadel picture
Since the screen shots in this article are rather small I have made a few that could eventually replace them or complement them, in 720p resolution. Have no fear or copyrights, I assure you these are made by me from the in-game cut scenes played with a Bink video player and captured with "Print Screen". Anyone could have done the same :) I have posted across a few articles, so be sure to check them out as well (Sovereign, Destiny Ascension, FTL, M35 Mako, Mass Relay and Citadel). Here are the HD screen shots for the Citadel. As I have no idea how to upload images here I will let you do it.

http://c.imagehost.org/0411/NormandyCitadel.png http://c.imagehost.org/0328/NormandyCitadel2.png

These two are almost the same but I was unsure if it was better with or without the sun flare. It shows the whole Citadel, which is a big plus considering there is no image like that right now. :)

69.159.102.144 17:34, 24 July 2008 (UTC)Darkdrium

Linguistic Inquiry
To what extent is the use of more advanced vocabulary permitted on this page ( I refer mainly to the removal of "zenithal" in the opening paragraph)?

Heliossoileh 21:33, 14 November 2008 (UTC)
 * My rule is: if a casual user might have to use a dictionary to look up what a word means, it doesn't belong in a wiki article. Nice work on the article apart from that. --Tullis 22:04, 14 November 2008 (UTC)


 * Thanks. Heliossoileh 22:40, 14 November 2008 (UTC)

Linguistic amendment- "coveniently/strategically"
Tullis, I refer you to the definition of "conveniently" found at www.dictionary.com:

"suitable or agreeable to the needs or purpose; well-suited with respect to facility or ease in use; favorable, easy, or comfortable for use."

"Strategically", while an acceptable synonym, intimates the notion of purpose, as opposed to good fortune. Though we ultimately know that it was a strategic arrangement created by the Reapers, it would be poor practice to foreshadow this before the relevant section of the page; as far as the nascent council races were concerned, it was fortunate that they should find such a usefully situated station. Hence, "conveniently" would be far more apt. Heliossoileh 23:09, 14 November 2008 (UTC)
 * That apparently suggests that its discovery was not convenient, its placement is. 'Convenience' in the vernacular suggests that it happened by chance. The Citadel was placed there at the nexus of the relays and is necessary to their operation. It doesn't imply the Reapers necessarily put it there, as the Protheans were presumably not ignorant of strategy either. --Tullis 23:17, 14 November 2008 (UTC)
 * I think 'strategically' works. As far as anyone is concerned, the Protheans built the Citadel in the nexus of their Mass Relay system. The fact the Reapers did it is is irrelevant. - Skarmory The PG 23:45, 14 November 2008 (UTC)
 * Having thought about both responses, I would now like to clarify and amend the argument I propounded above:

When speaking of an arrangement between various entities in such a context ( in this instance, the Citadel and the complex of mass relays) we logically first describe the facility/usefulness/convenience of the arrangement. The arrangement above could be described as useful/convenient. We then talk about the reason(s) why the arrangement is as it is (or, "What caused this to happen?"); this is usually expressed via a dichotomy of purposeful(strategic)/accidental(sometimes "random").

I believe an analogy is helpful: regarding the arrangement of rooms within a building, I might describe the proximity of a fire exit to a bedroom as useful/convenient and not imply whether this was purposeful of the builders or not; indeed, it may have been a clever architectural feature, or merely a constructive blunder.

This pertains to the current discussion in that we are explaining why the Citadel became the galactic capital ("a hub of activity...political and cultural heart of Citadel space") that it did; a description of the usefulness/convenience of its arrangement with the complex of mass relays is sufficient to achieve this. However, in light of the introductory paragraph of this page, especially the reference to the "Prothean creation", I would propose a compromise: both the usefulness/convenience and why (causally, not descriptively) it is useful/convenient ( viz. purposefulness/strategy of the Protheans) is expressed e.g. "The design(implying purposefulness) of the Citadel, with its convenient(useful) proximity to various mass relays leading to different galactic locations, led to it becoming a hub of activity..." I hope this meets with your approval. Heliossoileh 00:37, 15 November 2008 (UTC)


 * I write for a living, and I agree with Stephen King and Hemingway -- the simplest word is often the strongest one and an overdressed vocabulary trips over itself. Wikis have to be accessible, concise, and explanatory for everyone, without the word choices within the articles needing to be explained. I had to read the above a few times to realise you were proposing a couple of word changes to this article. I'd rather go for a simple word that may only be 90% accurate, rather than an 100% accurate sentence that's thirty words long. I realise you may disagree with this word change and I respect that. But I genuinely think 'strategically' should stay. That is all. --Tullis 03:07, 15 November 2008 (UTC)
 * So be it, though, in the words of my advocate Voltaire: "History should be written as philosophy." Heliossoileh 03:47, 15 November 2008 (UTC)

"Enigma"
According to Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary:

"An action, mode of action, or thing, which cannot be satisfactorily explained; a puzzle; as, his conduct is an enigma."

The enigma needn't be an exhaustive puzzle; in the above definition, information is probably known about him, and his conduct. The key is that it cannot be satisfactorily explained. Similarly, the Citadel remains a puzzle, in that the locations of its key components are not known, nor what those those components consist of, etc. I suggest that this is the prima facie reading of the word in the relevant context. Heliossoileh 14:05, 15 November 2008 (UTC)