Why NO KILL option on Ashara?

It's not something i'd put on any of my characters, but yeah, I've seen people wearing it. :P To me it's got weird implications, the Knights were underlings to Arcann.

I wasn't aware it was just the top and not the whole armor, but IMHO it's still an example of Arcann being treated differently in the writing because he's someone's personal favorite. I can't think that in 2 years Lana, Theron or Koth never would have bought the commander a present. I'd like to hope it's something they will expand to all the companions in the name of fairness.

Yup. Sometimes the Powers That Be decide a character is going to do something or the series is going to take a specific turn, and the writers can be spluttering and explaining up and down that it's not canon or realistic within the set parameters, and it still happens. And then they're the fall guys.

But the writers running amok on their own is exactly why I think there's always a need for QC and good editors. There should be oversight and an objective voice to counter when a writer becomes too subjective. In this case I think someone at Bioware should have looked at these companion returns and what was done with Arcann from KOTET onward and sent them back to the table for revisions. No one writer on a video game *should* have an opening to do what was done with Arcann or to write consistently OOC companion returns, but it wasn't checked. So I blame Bioware for this above all.

Agreed.
Well it's not exactly the same as the cartel version. (Of course, some folks may actually view this as worse, given that letting Arcann survive is the only way to get this exact model.) As well as the vanilla companions giving us three gifts each at the successful conclusion of their romance arcs, there are some other things earlier in the story, like Aric Jorgan giving the female Trooper a lovely jeweled necklace to congratulate her on a promotion. But it's true that I don't remember any other companion giving us an item we can literally put on our character and have everyone see as visible. Maybe it's something more of them could do in the future!

Yeah, I guess I can see why people would find it unfair! You'd think longer standing relationships would have more opportunities to give you something nice! I haven't worn mine as I don't particularly like that armor, but the gesture was to me at least extremely sweet! So it's only natural that others would want something like that too. It makes it kind of personal, in a nice way, if you're into that!
I hope they'll do it for the others as well!

Corso gives you flashy! (?) I think that kinda counts?

OMG yes! How could I forget Flashy?? Corso, I'm sorry!

Edit: Actually, he gives a romanced Smuggler Sparkles as well. I still use that on my lady smug. Seriously, what's wrong with me??

Oh I'm aware. The Arcann romance was mostly written long before it even received the 'go ahead', so I suppose there is some moderation of their work done in terms of "We can/cannot do this". It just feels that's also about the extent of quality control because Charles, as the head of the department and a man who's been involved with SWTOR writing since launch, should not be approving some of the written content used for the reunions. He should know Corso, Andronikos, Risha etc. better than that but perhaps it was a matter of just getting it over and done with and quality took a backseat. I also can't see him as the sort of 'boss' who slaps his own writers on the wrist and makes a lot of corrections, he strikes me as the praise and constant support type instead.

As for redemption, there wasn't really any unless you count "Bibbity bobbity boo now you're a nice guy!". Gifts... eh, our old LI's did send us some in the mail every now and then, mere companion gift stuff you then give back to them but hey. Though it does feel Arcann's presented with perks each time. First in order to save Senya, you have to save him and now you get a piece of armor for participating in his romance alert, even if you reject him.

100% all of your post.

That's exactly it. Now, I can understand that in the course of six years our companions have grown. They've had their own adventures and experiences that may have well changed parts of who they are or used to be, and that's fine. But to change them so drastically, make them so unlike themselves isn't right. We're supposed to be reuniting with the person we fell in love with, not a stranger wearing their face because the writer decided to make some changes to their personality.

I'm not looking to attack Samantha directly. Sure she's made statements in that interview that I strongly disagree with when it comes to being a writer for a game, and it is blatantly obvious she did put forward some of her own ideals at the expense of our PCs, and shipped her own favorite, which I don't feel you should be doing but on the other hand, those above her should have put a halt to the material and asked for better. Both sides are responsible for this situation.

I do also realize there are limitations. Perhaps a writer has written out a 15-minute wonderful scene but it includes animations or a setting the art department cannot seem to put together, or the bosses above feel it's too much and a lot of the material ends up being cut down into something of a TLDR. So, no, it isn't all on her nor is she solely to blame but I do feel she has made some poor choices. Nothing against her as a person, I'm sure she's lovely and nice, she sure sounded it when replying to my Tweets but that doesn't mean I have to laud her work.

Yep. She did say in the article that she loves the enemies to lovers trope.

In my more charitable moments, I think his redemption would have been much more developed if they hadn't compressed KOtET & KOX into 1/4 of what it was originally designed to be. Perhaps they are having the same issue with the companion returns: trying to compress a full chapter into 2 minutes?

I found Elara's return to be much worse than Quinn's. My 100% light side trooper's BFF was down right hostile to her for no reason. By the end I was ready to put her out of my misery.

This seems likely. It makes me really sad that those of us who waited the longest are going to get the shortest returns. We're the ones who deserve more. All the same, "in my more charitable moments" I think that the BW writers are probably sadder than any of us about how this has turned out.

Not sure if they are sadder but I don't think this is what Charles' had wanted originally. He tends to chuckle and laugh a lot during Livestreams when story and companions come up, and it appears he is just laughing things off but to me it looks more like a nervous laughter. Like he knows there are harsh critiques, he is well aware of the displeasures, he knows it isn't what players or he himself wanted, he also knows why it isn't but cannot say so he's just in an awkward position each time the issue's brought up and you get this sort of uncomfortable/nervous grimacing and laughing.

I would have liked to see what we were supposed to be getting if plans hadn't been altered and rushed, I'd like to know what he had in mind for everything in terms of story and reunions and I'd like him to level with us and have an honest conversation about these things but I'm aware that's likely just not possible. On top of that, the last time he was brave enough to post on the forums with an in-depth look at a character (Valkorion), war broke out basically and Charles doesn't strike me as the type of person who's good at handling such confrontational and controversial things, which is okay, not everyone is.

Once all the companion returns are done and the game moves on to the next storyline, I would love to know what the writers fully intended. And yes, the previous experience mightn't incentivize them to want to share that with us... Sometimes sharing might-have-beens can seem non-constructive because it makes what we actually got look worse. But for me it restores some faith in the writing team if I can look at what they actually wanted to do and think "yes, I would've loved that."