I believe Bethesda wants you to feel that your choices matter and that's why thy don't give a clear answer to any of the heroes' races. However, to say that they don't have a favorite as a company that they've chosen is just dumb.
It should also be noted that the Dawnguard expansion, because of it's emphasis on choice, will likely be treated as separate in lore. Meaning they will almost certainly say that it was just some random adventurer that did the quest line similar to the guild quests.
On the topic of reincarnation, I'm aware what it actually is but in fantasy, both games and movies/television, the reincarnation is almost always similar to the original.
As for "trivializing" players choices, companies do it all the time. Do you really think that if they make a Skyrim movie (not saying they should or ever will, it's just an example) that they'd give a rats ass about pissing off people who picked an Argonian and not making their movie Dovahkiin an Argonian? This has already been done by Mass Effect with male Shepard being the actual canon character and fem Shepard being considered alternate. Yes she's technically canon, but she's not the one that the company recognizes and therefore is only canon to those that picked her.
In the end I think that's Bethesda's goal, to have everyone's canon be acceptable because each of our versions of the Elder Scrolls universes is it's own separate entity. However, there always has to be one that the company and creators themselves will use for outside media and that is almost certainly a Nord in the case of Skyrim.
Fortunately, those barbaric laws aren't used anymore.
And when you marry, you become bound, related.
"We gather here today, under Mara's loving gaze, to bear witness to the union of two souls in eternal companionship. May they journey forth together in this life and the next, in prosperity and poverty, and in joy and hardship. Do you agree to be bound together, in love, now and forever?"
Yes, the Empire that the Nords themselves idealized.
And if you don't consider this, consider that the ceremony most commonly adopted in Skyrim is the one that I mentioned before, under the "blessings" of Mara.
And, I assume, considering the Nords "nature", they wouldn't dare to disrespect something bound by divine law.
It wasn't Astrid's fault. She led the Skyrim branch of the Brotherhood for years, and she feared for the worse now that the times had changed.
I consider something natural to human nature to fear. And she feared change, no matter how good it would be for the Brotherhood. I would dare to say that it was, in fact, the human counterpart of the "animal" instinct: Astrid was the mother, the Dark Brotherhood was the child. In her eyes, what she was doing was for the better.
If the Stormcloaks win the Civil War Ulfric and Elisif would both be contenders at the Moot since Ulfric does not kill her. However, I find it to be very unlikely that Elisif would be elected. And, under these conditions, with supporters of Ulfric installed as Jarls in each Hold, Ulfric seems unbeatable.
However, in the more interesting scenario in which Ulfric is defeated in the Civil War, I still find it somewhat unlikely that Elisif would be voted in by the Moot. She is young, and naive, and essentially lead around by the nose by her steward: Falk Firebeard. Her only claim is having been married to a High King, who was himself rather young and inexperienced. With all that said, I think it is possible that the remaining Jarls could conspire to vote for Balgruf, since I can't see him putting his own name forward.
In that situation, Balgruf would be honorbound to accept, and I think would make a great leader due to his allegiance to whatever is best for his people and Skyrim. He holds to Nordic tradition while also being a realist and seeing that times change and the Empire can be made to be useful to help defend Skyrim from the struggle within. Also, though he respected Ulfric, he saw the reality that what Ulfric and the Stormcloaks were trying to do would rip Skyrim in two and leave it easy pickings for the undesirable undercurrent in the Empire... the Thalmor.
All that said, I think that Brunwulf Free-Winter would make a decent High King as well.
... I need to stir some dissent. This place is being too agreeable. Almost everyone is saying either Ulfric, Balgruuf, or the Dovahkiin (which is either the best or the worst idea in history depending on the character, btw).
Hm... I think Elenwen should be High Queen of Skyrim if the Imperials win. She has all the necessary skills to run a government, would allow Skyrim to prosper due to trading with nations both on the Imperial side, and on the Thalmor side. On top of her beneficial cost-effect outlook, she also is unrestricted by moral constraints that would make other leaders make unfavorable decisions, and she has experience with working behind the scenes. This would provide support in other ways, as while she couldn't entirely exert Elven dominance over the Nordic people due to obvious and likely overwhelming retribution, she would be able to better integrate elven society and literature into the Nordic peoples through events and social reforms, so that both sides could gain greater cultural appreciation for each other, and both sides of society could advance simultaneously. Elenwen also gives another advantage to Skyrim; since High Elves live so much longer than Nords, barring assassination, wars breaking out over who would inherit the throne next would be... Considerably less common, to say the least.
Would she make a few too many selfish decisions? Sure, but many successful kings have had that problem. Although the people might not like her, though, I'm otherwise seeing nothing but positives here.