This is something that I've wanted to mention. Prepare yourselves, as this is a big one.
Think about the first Sonic game. Believe it or not, the American manual for the first Sonic game doesn't even mention the story with the Chaos Emeralds, while the Japanese version does. Apparently, that's the motivation behind Dr. Robotnik in the first place. To capture the Chaos Emeralds and use robots to initiate his plans on getting their power. As far as the American version is concerned, Dr. Robotnik is taking animals and turning them into robots, so Sonic needs to go save them. No Chaos Emeralds mentioned in the story.
So would the game have been better off without the Chaos Emeralds? Well, since they're not mentioned in the American version within the actual story, they're essentially used as bonus things, and nothing more. Besides, I think it works better off if the Chaos Emeralds weren't implemented into the game. They're for bonus stages, and are meant to achieve the good ending (but mainly to rank up your score). For a platforming game where a blue hedgehog is fighting a fat scientist, does such a plot need such a powerful device?
Apparently, the Chaos Emeralds grant unlimited power, and this can create a bunch of holes. For one, they can turn thoughts into power... but there's not much detail the series regardless. For one, there are seven of them, and the franchise basically leeches onto the fact that all seven of them are needed. For what, though? Do they get more powerful when they're next to each other? Can one wish upon one to gain the other six? Can one wish that the others were temporarily off or something? I mean, why are there seven? The first game gives basically twelve opportunities to snatch up six of them, so it's never explained. Then another one was randomly introduced in the next game, and apparently it's possible to turn Super with them.
That really makes me question these abilities. I mean, why does it take only one to warp, but seven to become a slightly stronger version of yourself? Heck, it only takes two to time travel! Say what you want about Sonic '06, but that doesn't change their powers. The only thing that was erased was Solaris. Still, what's the secret behind these abilities and whatnot? If my research is correct, Dr. Robotnik wants to use them for his machines. Well, I believe. It took all seven to power the Eclipse Cannon (even though I'm not entirely sure how that would work, considering the fact that these stones are basically blind genies within themselves), and it even took seven of them to power all of Chaos. Seriously, these abilities are so exotic and inconsistent, that I'm essentially EXPECTING how these abilities work! Yeah, I suppose that I could read the Archie comics and see if the answers are in there, but from someone who's only played the video games, it's inconsistent and confusing.
That's where I can offer up my question once more. Would the series have been better off without these gems? Many have told me that they're a staple to the franchise, but I really disagree on this. Just because something has been used in the first game (and the second, and the third, and many after that) doesn't mean that it needs to remain just because it always has been. It's entirely possible to remove the Chaos Emeralds and have a great story from it. I mean, look at Sonic Colors. Sure, they're IN that game, but they're not a major part of the story. The entire game can be completed without even acknowledging one. Still, I had fun with it. The same thing applies to the story of Sonic Lost World (though I've never played it, I've seen the cut-scenes on YouTube). No Chaos Emeralds, yet creates a fresh experience. To me, I feel like removing the Chaos Emeralds really adds more to the series, and relies a lot less on past gimmicks.
In my own personal opinion, the Chaos Emeralds feel a lot more like a forced gimmick than they do an interesting plot device. Think of all the stories where the Chaos Emeralds were the main focus. What were the stories? "Get all seven Chaos Emeralds! Get them right now! Chop chop!" Stuff like that. Sonic Adventure was "get the Chaos Emeralds and stop Chaos." Sonic Adventure 2 was "get the Chaos Emeralds to power the Eclipse Cannon (whoops, giant lizard fight time)." In Shadow the Hedgehog, the Chaos Emeralds are used to uncover the past. In Sonic Unleashed, the Chaos Emeralds are used to fix the planet. In Sonic Generations, the Chaos Emeralds are used to defeat the Time Eater and restore the flow of time. I mean, talk about pure repetition. The games all focus on "get the Chaos Emeralds!" NOW, shift your view on Sonic Colors and Sonic Lost World. Sonic Colors has a story about rescuing aliens at a theme park, and Sonic Lost World is about teaming up with Dr. Robotnik and stopping the Deadly Six. See? Much more diverse stories when the Chaos Emeralds aren't required.
So my main question once more is, would the series be a lot better off without the Chaos Emeralds? Many claim that the Sonic series needs to have plenty of simplistic moments and have a light story overall. Many Sonic-related complaints involve the Chaos Emeralds somehow, and I feel like that removing them entirely would fix that. Stories can focus more on Sonic himself, rather than trying to create a story that's cliche in the franchise to give him something to fight.
Don't worry, I didn't forget about the Master Emerald. Knuckles is the guardian of the Master Emerald, and his story technically ended in Sonic 3 and Knuckles. I don't know where Knuckles would fit without abandoning his character altogether... which I feel might be necessary. So, remove the Chaos Emeralds, the Master Emerald, and Knuckles. This will also result in the removal of Shadow as well, though. Without the Chaos Emeralds, he wouldn't exist. Gerald would've never been able to create Shadow if Black Doom didn't use the Chaos Emeralds as payment. This would also effectively remove Rouge as well, as she wouldn't have investigated the case. So, by removing the Chaos Emeralds, you'd get rid of Knuckles, Rouge, Shadow, Omega, Silver, Blaze, and a bunch of other characters who are unnecessary. Amy MIGHT still exist, though, as the Chaos Emeralds weren't in Sonic CD (the time stones were, though). Even if, I wouldn't consider it a big loss anyways.
Though, this does lead to a little question. Dr. Robotnik became a scientist because of his grandfather, who was executed for the creation of Shadow. If Shadow were never created, he wouldn't have been executed, but would Dr. Robotnik still have been an evil scientist to take over the world? Eh, it's his own will anyways, so my answer would probably be yes. I mean, the Chaos Emeralds weren't necessary for Gerald to become a scientist and having him follow, so it's perfectly plausible to do this.
So, to sum things up, I believe it would be a perfectly reasonable thing to reboot the entire series with just Sonic, Tails, and Dr. Robotnik. No Chaos Emeralds, no giant deity of destruction, none of that. Just build from there, and continue the series in it's original, light-heart stories and direction. In all honesty, I see the Sonic Team doing something simply just like that with Sonic Colors and Sonic Lost World, and as a life-long Sonic fan, I can safely say that I enjoy this new direction (For the record, Sonic Boom isn't helping my case). Keep the series light-hearted and simple, as well as use the proper character traits! Make Sonic the laid-back cocky hedgehog, Tails the innocent yet curious fox, and Dr. Robotnik the menacing villain with a slight comedic edge. You know, something like the three's interaction with each other in Sonic Adventure. I like this direction. The Chaos Emeralds, not so much.
To wrap things up, what do you guys think about this?
