User blog comment:The Milkman/Mass Effect in Retrospect/@comment-4721065-20130419132524/@comment-24174486-20130419201913

Except prior to the Collector Ship mission, no one has any idea where the Collector Base is, and the means to actually being able to get there also ends up sabotaging the Normandy, putting pressure on Shepard and the crew to immediately launch their assault on the Collector Base.

Gathering intel is a little completely out of the question.