User blog comment:The Milkman/The Writing of the Ending/@comment-24174486-20120726200543/@comment-4237253-20120726211711

I think you're missing the point here. The Catalyst is a character of extreme importance. It's clear that the Catalyst has a lot more power than Shepard (it can destroy the Crucible at will), and whether or not it's omnipotent or omniscient isn't relevant. Its role in the story however, is. It's contrived, sudden, and unsatisfying. The Crucible can be considered a dues ex machina as well as a MacGuffin, but the Catalyst is, much more so.