User blog comment:Awayorafk/Reaper Logic: What Bioware was TRYING to get across./@comment-2086180-20120425222954/@comment-2086180-20120425230247

Again: The Citadel IS a mass relay, the MAIN one, and it doesn't have a supernova-like explosion, so why would the others? It's an assumption that makes no sense, the Arrival relay was smashed by an asteroid, not overloaded by the Crucible, the Citadel was, and nothing got supernova'd.

The ships/people stranded are only military personnel, the majority of each species are likely on their own homeworld (or other colony), which likely have food and other resources. So not necessarily "bad", a large sacrifice, yes, but the reapers are still destroyed/gone.