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At times, the franchise weaves between Lovecraftian cosmic horror, Hard Sci-Fi, and ensemble space opera. This versatility leaves the door wide open for writers and creators to take the reins, leading to obscurity and complexity the everyday player might never uncover. What are some of the strangest parts of Halo’s lore?
8 Neural Physics
The imagination of Greg Bear propelled the Halo universe to new heights, introducing a myriad of concepts and characters that vindicate the enigma of the Forerunners and those that came before. The Precursors were a trans-sentient race that seeded the Forerunners. They were effectively living Gods and progenitors of life in the Milky Way.
Neural Physics was a synthesis of Precursor technology and philosophy. They understood the universe as alive and intrinsically connected in a way that humans and Forerunners could not grasp. The technology ensured Precursor artifacts never decayed. Star Roads, a creation made possible by neural physics, linked planets and star systems. The roads could also be used as weapons. The Flood used them to destroy The Greater Ark, 100,000 years before the events of Halo.
7 The Flood – A Dead Gods’ Revenge
The Flood, the existential threat to all life and biodiversity in the Halo universe. Their origin was seemingly extragalactic. However, The Forerunner Trilogy provides more revelations about their mysterious origin. The Forerunners rose up against their creators after it was discovered they would not inherit the mantle. After the slaughter, the surviving Precursors receded, turning themselves into dust to return at a later time.
Over time, the dust corrupted and began to infect anything that it came into contact with, leading to the very first flood forms. The Precursors saw this as serendipitous. The Gravemind and the last surviving Precursor, The Primordial, were one and the same. Its motivation was for all life to be “crushed up into folds” with “endless grayness” and “unity” in suffering. Truly harrowing, a revenge millions of years in the making.
6 Hunters – Bards of the Halo Universe
Many Halo fans know that the infamous hunters are actually colonies of tiny worms called Lekgolo. While their level of sentience is up for debate, these hulking creatures are more complex than one might assume. They’ve been seen to use their mass to obliterate enemies, before pausing to meditate and recite war poetry.
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Every enemy in Halohas depth, an idiosyncratic culture, and complex interpersonal relationships, and Hunters are no different. Players should perhaps think twice before launching the butt of an assault rifle into their back.
5 Human-San’Shyuum Relations
The San’Shyuum, otherwise known as the prophets, can be viewed as one of the main antagonists of Halo’s story. They engineered an embittered war against humanity, after realizing that their ‘Gods’ (The Forerunners) favored humans over any Covenant species. However, their view of humanity wasn’t always this way.
Ancient humanity had a vast empire, one that had great links with the San’Shyuum. This standing allowed for cohabitation, trade, and even interspecies relations. The San’Shyuum were actually viewed as the most sensual and alluring of the ancient races. Best to leave it at that.
4 ONI’s Endgame
ONI are a seedy and shadowy organization. They have committed various atrocities in the name of human preservation, often the victims of the atrocities were humans themselves. One of their most egregious crimes came at the end of the Human-Covenant War. ‘Condition: Endgame’ was to be enacted as a last-ditch retaliatory strike against The Covenant.
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When Earth was finally invaded, ONI signaled for Spartan Gray Team to carry out their directive. That order was the total annihilation of a Sanghelli colony world, Glyke. Out in deep space, with no communication, the Spartans were unaware the conflict had ended and an unsteady peace ensued. After months of silence, they detonated a NOVA bomb and eradicated all life on the planet. Somehow, relative peace was maintained following the incident.
3 The Human/Forerunner Connection
This is perhaps one of the most convoluted and contested points of Halo’s lore. Were the enigmatic Forerunners originally planned to be revealed as humans? The linguistics of “Reclaimer,” used by 343 Guilty Spark and Mendicant Bias, would allude to both races being one and the same. In-game, this is reinforced by the fact that only humans can intuit and use Forerunner technology, much to the chagrin of The Covenant.
Somewhere along the line, specifically in Halo 3’s development, the consensus seemed to diverge. By the time 343i took charge, cemented by The Forerunner Trilogy, it was clear that humans and Forerunners were two distinct species. However, some of the latest works by Kelly Gay indicate that humans were in fact a “forgotten” rate of Forerunners, The Philosopher rate. The debate may rage on indefinitely.
2 AIs – Intrinsically Human
AI in the Halo universe is integral to human survival. They command ships, run cities, and are capable of upending civilization if they will it. Their lifespan is short, rampancy often ensues after seven years or so. Once the process for rampancy has begun, AIs are decommissioned, so they can no longer pose a threat.
Even though their power reaches far beyond human capabilities, their core is intrinsically human. Smart AIs, used by the UNSC, are created by replicating the neural pathways of the human brain. This process destroys the brain matter in question, another ethical conundrum. Due to their origin, the AI adopt characteristics from their source material. They can access impressions and memories of the human they stem from, leading to tension in how they perceive themselves.
1 Original Trilogy Timeline
Escaping reach, discovering Installation 04 and its secrets, losing Keyes, and suppressing the threat; In the end, when players were blinded by Halo: CE’s majesty, Cortana remarks “Halo…it’s over.” Chief responds, claiming they are only “getting started.” However, less than three months later, the decades-long Human-Covenant War and the newly found Flood threat were over.
The entirety of the events of the original trilogy takes place from September 19, 2552, to December 11, 2552. That includes the Arbiter’s disgrace, the invasion of New Mombassa, The Great Schism, and the discovery and subsequent battle for The Ark. This galaxy-spanning, mind-bending, and exhilarating odyssey took The Chief and Cortana just 83 days. An incomparable pairing, an incomparable ride.
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