Possible to save institute scientists in the Brotherhood ending?

[Gofa Kierself]

I know it's a bit late in the game here, what with the game's release 6 months ago and Far Harbor now being out, but I only just now got around to completing the game and I've been experimenting with which ending I like best to then continue on with to the DLC's. I just completed the Brotherhood ending and blew up the institute, and after returning to the Prydwin I found Dr. Li and she basically called me a dumb bastard for blindly following Maxson and murdering all those innocent scientists that were still inside the institute when the blast happened. Oops. In my first go I did the speech option to convince Father to help me in exchange for trying to keep more of his people from dying, and when I went onto his terminal I initiated the evacuation plan, which I thought would help get some of the scientists out of the facility and save them, to which Dr. Li later told me to go f*ck myself.

So, I now ask if it is at all possible to save those scientists that were still inside if I reload, because morality and conscience and whatnot, or if they're just f*cked from the git-go.

[Panda-Bishop]

"Shoot to kill, the Brotherhood doesn't take prisoners" - Random BoS Knight.

If I recall correctly, you can only enact a successful evacuation if you get the Minutemen to storm the Institute (either by going with the Minutemen or with the Railroad, who asks you to get the Minutemen to help). The Brotherhood is intent on ensuring there's absolutely no chance that the synth program can ever be continued and likely gun down anyone trying to run to the teleportation chamber when you sound the alarm.

[The Minted Lady]

Sounding the alarm does save Scientists' lives. It's "off-camera" so to speak but that lets several of them escape. Plus, you'll notice that a lot of the named Institute Scientists aren't even in the building when you storm the place. My assumption is they and others evacuated before the explosion.

Personally, I made it a point not to shoot any scientists I saw while running around the facility. I was a little annoyed that Codsworth--my own companion--was attacking them, though. They were cowering in corners and he was slicing them up with his shiskebab blade! Bad Codsworth, bad! But I still imagine that a number of scientists got away before the explosion happened.

Also Dr. Li is a hypocrite. She has no moral ground to stand on so she can take her feels and cry into a shotglass. She was just fine working with the Institute while they were conducting their abduction scheme, and her whole "I thought you were just going to intimidate the Institute" line is her way of making herself feel better. She knew how the BoS operates. She can't possibly be that naive.

[Panda-Bishop]

Originally posted by The Minted Lady:

Also Dr. Li is a hypocrite. She has no moral ground to stand on so she can take her feels and cry into a shotglass. She was just fine working with the Institute while they were conducting their abduction scheme, and her whole "I thought you were just going to intimidate the Institute" line is her way of making herself feel better. She knew how the BoS operates. She can't possibly be that naive.

To be fair, when you show Dr. Li the evidence that Shaun was lying to her it becomes evident she isn't fully aware of what else is going on (she even goes "what else have they been lying to me about?"), so I wouldn't call her a hypocrite simply for working with the Institute.

She is pretty damn naive about what the BoS was going to be doing with Liberty Prime and all the nukes she was helping load onto it though.