Y’know I kinda feel like SE might be moving towards playable Garleans? The main things I’m noticing (and this isn’t proof but feels suspicious to me):

1) Clearly established two different sub-races/clans of Garlean. Tall Garleans (Gaius, Nael, Nero, Livia, Zenos, and Maxima), and Short Garleans (Ramza’s Father, That Scientist during 4.0 MSQ, and Cid).

2) Have established a “friendly” group of Garleans (The populare/populus what ever the fuck they’re called).

3) It seems likely* that either receiving the Echo (or psuedo-echo), or maybe the Blessing of Light, can allow people to use magic. Because, honestly, all that shit Zenos was doing during his fight was awfully magical. So, they could justify a garlean WoL (PC) being able to use magic even if for the rest of the garleans are magically inept.

All they’d really need to do is to add in some alternate dialogue if your a Garlean during the opening explaining why you’re in Eorzea. And, maybe lock out them from being able to play magic classes until a certain point in the (early) MSQ if you make a Garlean from scratch.

*May have been outright stated to be the case but I don’t remember.