MrGreencastle
Member
I like this theory.
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Halo Lore Thread
- Thread starter Korten
- Start date
I like this theory.
wesleyshark
Banned
Same. I keep rereading it and it keeps making more and more sense haha.
Really as I was writing it I was still thinking about how the Covenant could have gotten a hold of him but not found the Halos earlier, and 343GS's idle thoughts about visiting another planet in the terminals popped in my head.
There's still some questions that remain, though, such as why they would have converted him to a Covenant AI when he could have lead them to the rings, for instance, and even if that is the case, why he'd be on the Truth in Reconciliation, a very minor (in the grand scheme of things) vessel. Also, he's been gone or derelict for tens of thousands of years before the Covenant were spaceborne so there's still the question of why he left to answer. Still, it at least jives with the little hooks we saw in First Strike where it's presumed that the Covenant essentially coopted human AIs for their own uses, a plot point we haven't heard anything come from since.
Either way, I feel like they've put enough little crumbs out there about 049 that either he's never going to appear and it'll be a mystery left to the fans, or they'll actually follow up on it.
(On a side note, the page for Abject Testament on Waypoint mentions submonitors on Gamma Halo. I wonder if that's what the constructs like the one on Cold Storage are, or perhaps they are not physical entities at all but exist within Halo's computer systems.)
There's still some questions that remain, though, such as why they would have converted him to a Covenant AI when he could have lead them to the rings, for instance, and even if that is the case, why he'd be on the Truth in Reconciliation, a very minor (in the grand scheme of things) vessel. Also, he's been gone or derelict for tens of thousands of years before the Covenant were spaceborne so there's still the question of why he left to answer. Still, it at least jives with the little hooks we saw in First Strike where it's presumed that the Covenant essentially coopted human AIs for their own uses, a plot point we haven't heard anything come from since.
Either way, I feel like they've put enough little crumbs out there about 049 that either he's never going to appear and it'll be a mystery left to the fans, or they'll actually follow up on it.
(On a side note, the page for Abject Testament on Waypoint mentions submonitors on Gamma Halo. I wonder if that's what the constructs like the one on Cold Storage are, or perhaps they are not physical entities at all but exist within Halo's computer systems.)
Captain Friendo
Neo Member
I'm not sure if I read this theory here or somewhere else, but i'm personally quite fond of the theory that the unidentified ship that crashed on installation 04 belongs to a race with the distinct intention of releasing the flood and somehow in the process corrupting the installation's monitors.
049 Abject Testament is missing, Penitent Tangent has been rampant for thousands of years and the monitor from installation 07 is also missing - The occupants that crashed onto installation 04 never left their ship, nor did Guilty Spark ever attempt any communication with them, so perhaps his ring was spared from any formal tampering.
Maybe Abject Testament communicated with the the aliens and they took him somewhere, somehow... the missing link (if the theory of the Truth and Reconciliation AI being a fragment of Abject is true) is how he got into the covenants hands, so to speak.
049 Abject Testament is missing, Penitent Tangent has been rampant for thousands of years and the monitor from installation 07 is also missing - The occupants that crashed onto installation 04 never left their ship, nor did Guilty Spark ever attempt any communication with them, so perhaps his ring was spared from any formal tampering.
Maybe Abject Testament communicated with the the aliens and they took him somewhere, somehow... the missing link (if the theory of the Truth and Reconciliation AI being a fragment of Abject is true) is how he got into the covenants hands, so to speak.
Huh, that's a thought. But you'd think if they were trying to corrupt the monitors, they would have been more proactive in 343GS' case. The events take place 60,000 years after the Halo Array was fired, so they have to either be indexed lifeforms or extragalactic in origin. But how would they know about the rings in the first place? And for that matter why weren't the other rings (so far as we know?) impacted?
wesleyshark
Banned
This quote from the Primordial is all the more relevant. Halo 5 is going to set up some major game changers in the universe as a whole. Humanity is being tested and will be tested with greater fervor going into Halo 6.
The Flood not returning yet makes a lot of sense the more I think about it. Humanity isn't ripe enough for their return just yet. The Flood is waiting and biding their time. Their grand entrance is still in the slow cooker, so to speak, and so is the unification of humanity.
Samurai G0SU
Member
can't wait to see evolved flood forms of MISERY AND PAIN
Captain Zyrain
Member
Makes sense, as they were "accidentally" released in Halo 1 and happened upon in Halo 2/3. If they can keep this "30 years of Halo" thing going, I can see it playing out masterfully.
That's one thing I'm concerned about, in the abstract sense.
The real world doesn't have "ends", history keeps marching forward, chains of cause and effect and all that. But stories do need to have ends, and I've never to my knowledge seen a franchise successfully migrate from one genre to another, or completely change its characterafter all if you do that it's not the same thing people loved, right?
The LTTP thread on Stargate Atlantis, and my own binge rewatch of the series, has made me think about where Halo goes. I think Stargate: SG1 is an excellent series, with a blend of standalone episodes and long arcs, plot hooks that get followed up seasons later, and an overall sense of progress, rather than stagnation.
Towards the end of SG-1s run, however, it started suffering because its previous thematic cores were replaced. Suddenly, the United States Air Force had starships. Then, they gained access to ancient technology that made them more than a match for the enemy Goauld. Suddenly, it wasnt a story that could really be taking place in our world, it had gone to a much more futuristic place, and one where humanity not being the underdogs made things seem less vital and less interesting. As a result, new Big Bads had to be brought in to shake up the status quo, but the storylines were still not as fulfilling as before.
To bring this all back to Halo, I think theres a similar concern. Breaking the Covenant and humanity learning the secrets of the Forerunner soon after worked in their respective games, but as far as we know Infinity is the most powerful warship currently out there. The only thing that could stop it is a huge bunch of Covenant or some massive Forerunner ship which weve already seen. Humans have essentially become the dominant force in the galaxy. 343 has made that part of the storywhether humanity has the maturity to work for interests other than its own, for instancebut its still threatening to turn into another kind of universe entirely. If humanity does encounter the Flood and beats them in Halo 6 or 7 or 9, wheneverwhat do you do after that? It would essentially close out the entire saga as weve seen it laid.
I think this is one subconscious reason some people had a hard time making the transition from Bungies tales to 343sI mean, Bungie purposefully made some story elements weirdly anachronistic on its face for their own (gameplay) reasons; after all everyones using weapons that are essentially unchanged from stuff we have now on the human side of things, so that there was a clear Human/Forerunner/Covenant visual and conceptual divide. But that divide has been blurred since. Halo started out as a military scifi, and while weve seen parts of it can work outside that context, the Forerunner Trilogy being chief among themtheres still the threat that itll essentially and by necessity start turning into a more generic world that might not appeal to people.
In short I really hope that Microsoft will be willing to one day let the Halo franchise end on a bang, and not turn it into a soap opera.
</ramble>
LordOfChaos
Member
Yep. I wonder if they're accumulating biomass somewhere where no one would notice - or better yet, some of the originals were outside the range of the Halo firing and have been going strong and waiting.
My theory is that they're waiting on that Chekhov's gun, because first they need to position humanity as caretakers of the Mantle. I think what's going to happen is more covenant species will join the human-Sangheili alliance, especially after the Arbiters faction wipes out the remaining rebellions.
So after that, the grand endgame will be humanity plus it's former enemies, teaming up and joined under a strong humanity, fighting the returned Floodcursors for their final judgement.
If they fail, it will have meant that humanity didn't accumulate enough support, and were not worthy of the Mantle. If they succeed, it's only by having enough accumulated strength through all the other intelligent species in the galaxy, and therefore would have passed the Precursors tests.
I still hope a second Primordial was formed somewhere, amazing villain.
Frankie's story on the AI Iona, Saints Testimony, is out on the 27th. Then we get the full-length novel Last Light in September, and then Joe Staten's novella comes in December.
wesleyshark
Banned
The next book is a digital novella from Stinkles himself. That drops July 27th.
Then we have Halo: Last Light coming on September 7th.
wesleyshark
Banned
nekkid
It doesn't matter who we are, what matters is our plan.
It was nice when there were just enough books. Now there's ridiculous amounts! Who has the time...on top of playing the games?! I'm left to resort to wikis, and you fine fellows in this thread.
Well, it's pretty much the same number of novels, there's just these smaller works coming out at a faster clip. New Blood was easy to blow through in a day, and given the "digital short story" moniker I imagine Saints Testimony will be shorter than that. (Then again this also depends on your reading speedI can get through a Order of the Phoenix-length book in a day if I don't have distractions.)
Poodlestrike
Banned
You're on GAF, what are you doing playing games?
Saint's Testimony sneak preview:
There was an AI named Iona
Who's deal was that she's kind of a moaner
Complain all day long
Was the tone of her song
But she wasn't as awful as Brona
Who's deal was that she's kind of a moaner
Complain all day long
Was the tone of her song
But she wasn't as awful as Brona
Captain Zyrain
Member
Saint's Testimony sneak preview:
There was an AI named Iona
Who's deal was that she's kind of a moaner
Complain all day long
Was the tone of her song
But she wasn't as awful as Brona
Captain Zyrain
Member
I agree. It's a pitfall all of these types of stories run into at some point. The whole 'point' in the beginning is to survive and get more powerful.. but once you do.. then what? How do you keep it interesting without adding "THE REEEEEEAL BAD GUY!" or some variation on that? I guess you could go the other direction and get devolved again, making the original baddies powerful again. That'd be a pretty depressing story arc though.
I love LOVE loved SG1 (and Atlantis really), but I agree.. at some point you just tire of some new big bad showing up.. the team "working together to pull off a miracle".. etc.
Life in the real world tends to move at such a slow pace we wouldn't run into these issues in our daily lives I guess. An enemy today could very well be an enemy 20 years from now with no real change in our lives.
I hope they find a way to keep it military sci-fi without getting too crazy with Forerunner/Precursor technology. I did like that the human ships in SG1/Atlantis were at least human-looking. Same with Infinity.
So basically the ending I wanted from Mass Effect 3
That has to be the endgame I guess.. unless we somehow find the Precursors.. precursors..
wesleyshark
Banned
Saint's Testimony sneak preview:
There was an AI named Iona
Who's deal was that she's kind of a moaner
Complain all day long
Was the tone of her song
But she wasn't as awful as Brona
Saint's Testimony sneak preview:
There was an AI named Iona
Who's deal was that she's kind of a moaner
Complain all day long
Was the tone of her song
But she wasn't as awful as Brona
I'm hyped.
wesleyshark
Banned
The AI lore is my favorite lore. Bring it Frank!
wesleyshark
Banned
What death can join together
Brona
I am curious as to the extent of effect that Cortana's "death" will have for Chief and those that he in turn affects with his actions thereof. With the opening of the Domain, I think we're in for a hell of a roller-coaster.
LordOfChaos
Member
I hope we get an answer about how it is the Domain still exists in Halo 5,or surrounding media close to it's launch. I guess it could hid itself from the Forerunners as an FU to them for destroying the galaxy and all, but now there are Forerunner constructs protecting it....So at what point did the Forerunners figure out it was still around? In Silentium it seemed they had destroyed it, and that was the big final blow to them.
nillapuddin
Member
Yeah I know right, ita crazy. Who would spend all that time rea-
Oh yeah, me lol.
I don't actually open these copies tho, audiobook fo lyfe
wesleyshark
Banned
But also in Silentium, we find out that the Domain can exist beyond what confines that they had previously knew as defining guide posts.
And in Human Weakness, we discover that the Domain still exists in the present day, and while it isn't specifically called thus, it is there, and Cortana is given but a taste of it, via the Gravemind.
Yeah I know right, ita crazy. Who would spend all that time rea-
Oh yeah, me lol.
I don't actually open these copies tho, audiobook fo lyfe
such an excellent looking bookshelf.
I did the illustration for Human Weakness in that compilation, like, forever ago. It wasn't a very good illustration, but its cool that I have something Halo related published... lol.
DiiGoliath
Banned
Hey Stinkles, when are we going to see something from Spielby? I'm hyped for the Halo TV Series, I need a teaser.
wesleyshark
Banned
For real?
Captain Zyrain
Member
Liar! I see some crease wear!
Yea, it's like cortana with the grave mind thing behind her.
It's old
. Don't judge me by it, lolwesleyshark
Banned
Yea, it's like cortana with the grave mind thing behind her.
It's old
I dunno man, I've always liked it. That's awesome that were the one behind it. How did that come to pass, that you were asked to draw that for the book??
Yea, it's like cortana with the grave mind thing behind her.
It's old
hm... was that in Evolutions Vol. II ?
Can't seem to find it in the original publication. :]
There was an art contest when they split Evolutions into two volumes, right? Very cool that you made it in, it's a cool image too!
I dunno man, I've always liked it. That's awesome that were the one behind it. How did that come to pass, that you were asked to draw that for the book??
wesleyshark
Banned
Yes yes very cool! This is the first I'm hearing of an art contest. That's really awesome.
So this might be a better place to ask than the main thread (ha ha ha)
I was thinking about some halo themed paintings, like originals in oil.
What kinds of things would you guys like to see, as someone who might consider getting one of these "collectors" items.
Initially I was thinking a bust of MC and maybe Arbiter and MC back to back (whew that would be tough), and then go from there.
I was thinking about some halo themed paintings, like originals in oil.
What kinds of things would you guys like to see, as someone who might consider getting one of these "collectors" items.
Initially I was thinking a bust of MC and maybe Arbiter and MC back to back (whew that would be tough), and then go from there.
Ozzy Onya A2Z
Member
LordOfChaos
Member
That still leaves the time between the Forerunners thinking it was dead and it being alive now though, and guarded by Forerunner constructs apparently. I wonder when/how they re-discovered it...There's a book in there somewhere!
The only inspiration needed for back to back
That moment was so cool. I hope we see them two interact more in future projects.
AnathemicOne
Banned
I've a question regarding the Flood. Do the Flood still exist in the galaxy ie contained within Halos (just like Halo: CE)? Or did all the Flood get on High Charity and were destroyed on the Ark?
Edit: Also regarding Forerunners, was Halo 4 the only entry to introduce the concept of
Edit: Also regarding Forerunners, was Halo 4 the only entry to introduce the concept of
ancient Humans being a spacefaring species warring with the Forerunners, or are there books on that as well?
I know they are still around and I think they were shown in a comic too. The flood that landed on Earth were glassed by The Shipmaster which they show and talk about in Halo 3.
Forerunners and humans cross paths in the Bear books. Ultimately the humans are done in by their focus on destroying the flood at the expense of subduing the Forerunners. And vice versa. That rivalry instead of cooperation gave the Flood an advantage that had to be dealt with in the ultimate phyrric victory- the Halo array.
So, are there any notable differences between Ancient Human Tech and Forerunners, aesthetics or otherwise?
Forerunners used hard light and all that for weapons,
Did the humans use something different?
Wouldn't the Forerunners have wiped out AH anyway even without Flood interference? I get the impression that the technological difference between the two races was significant.