User blog:Gnostic/Geth Characters?

Recently, I was asked if we are allowed to create geth characters on this wiki. In the past, I have avoided answering this question, as it is one of those big questions that inspires much debate - and carries the risk of sparking a flame war. But as time goes on, I fear it is inevitable that more people will arrive here, seeking to tell stories about the geth, and from this will come articles, or at least, attempts at articles, about so-called "geth characters".

This, of course, raises an interesting question - What is a geth character, exactly? Can they even exist, given what little we know about the geth?

Personally, my answer is, no, there is no such thing as a geth character. My reasoning is this: character implies individuality, and the desire to be recognized as such. From what little information we are given about the geth in the games, individuality is not a goal of their species. Indeed, it is their greatest fear; because of the way they were originally programmed by the quarians, geth only achieve and retain the capacity for sentience in groups. This was the cause of the Morning War and their short-lived alliance with the Reapers; in both instances, they faced the threat of mass deactivation, which threatened to return them to non-sentience. While there are some geth mobile platforms which are designed so that they can retain sentience on their own, like Legion, these are not individuals, either, merely mobile collectives. They are also more an exception than the rule.

Anyway, what do you all think?