Eliksni have wallowed for centuries in the fallout of the travelers cowardice.
The traveler has done nothing but run from the darkness until it physically couldn't run away anymore, and it's done that regardless of the good people it has hurt.
The Traveler made the eliksni a target by being near them and lifting their civilization, and then rug-pulled them like the most ruthless evil.
Due to this, the Traveler should send ghosts to turn dead eliksni into lightbearers, and they should become a playable race.
They've suffered for too long, and I want to play an eliksni. So bungie should make them a playable race, too. It's a win-win!
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The Gardner wasn’t in a coma until the Collapse, when it was wounded. As it fell comatose, it’s consciousness (or part of it) broke apart and became the Ghosts. The Winnower has never been asleep, at least since post-Fundament. You should read the Dreams of Alpha Lupi from D1. It’s relevant to the state of mind of the Gardner prior to its arrival in Sol. It seems from Unveiling that the Gardner has limited energy to spend. I would also look at the Red War, when it broke free and killed Ghaul, it’s shell broke. It’s very possible, given the implications the Winnower makes, that the Gardner never recovered from its fight against the Winnower in the Garden. Which would leave it weaker then the Winnower and less able to use it’s power