Note: There was a Halo 4 Story thead, but that's not an entire universe lore thread, and it's been dead since early 2013.
This thread is purely for Lore, no gameplay or multiplayer or any of that jazz. Lastly please keep the discussion
clean and friendly, don't make this a bashing thread.
http://www.halopedia.org/Main_Page (Very useful Halo wiki site! Thank them!)
If you also want to see how 343i works with it's transmedia universe, check this presentation!
Welcome! To the Halo thread dedicated to discussion all past and current lore in the universe,
just a note: It will contain spoilers! So if you don’t care or are already caught up, continue on reading and enjoy! It will also be very image heavy, many images will
link to Halopedia articles to get even more information!
Something’s to get out first:
Canon: How it works with 343i unlike Bungie is that there aren’t tiers of canon,
instead with 343i everything is on par with each other.
Now what is Halo? (I know most of GAF knows but still) Halo is a Sci-Fi universe that first
appeared in Halo: Combat Evolved back in 2001 on the original Xbox, and also appeared just
shortly before the game in the first Halo novel: The Fall of Reach by Eric Nylund which began the
Halo book series.
Games of Halo (and chronically order: )
Halo Wars, Halo: Reach, Halo CE/Anniversary, Halo 2, Halo 3: ODST, Halo 3, Halo: Spartan Assault, Halo 4.
Books of Halo (not in chronically order: )
Nylund Trilogy: The Fall of Reach, First Strike, Ghosts of Onyx,
Others: Halo: The Flood, Contact Harvest, The Cole Protocol, Evolutions,
Kilo Five-Trilogy: Glasslands, The Thursday War, Mortal Dictata,
Forerunner Saga: Cryptum, Primordium, and Silentium.
There are also a number of Halo comics which will be spoken of below…
If you find this confusing, use this: http://www.halopedia.org/Halo_universe, it explains things in more
detail and a lot better, I tried to condense it the best I could...
Millions of years ago there once lived the advanced civilization known only as the Precursors, they controlled the galaxy and did so
for billions of years prior. They seeded the galaxy with life that they created, two such species being Humans and the Forerunners.
The Precursors held the Mantle of Responsibility, however when the Forerunners discovered that the Precursors had deemed
Humanity to take the mantle and not the Forerunners, the Ecumene (Forerunners), went against the Precursors and wiped them out.
Or so they were led to believe, however some became corrupted over millions of years, these former Precursors became known as the
Flood. Despite Humanity having been deemed for the mantle, it was the Forerunners who took the mantle, to which led to conflicts between
the Humans and Forerunners. Eventually Humanity and the San ‘Shyuum (The Prophets) began to fight the flood and the Forerunners on a
two-front war; a war that the Forerunners didn’t realize was caused by Humanity having started to run from the Flood.
Humanity managed to fight off the flood, however they lost the war to the Forerunners and were de-evolved and put onto Earth (known as
Erde-Tyrene at the time), it would be sometime till the Forerunners eventually would fight the flood themselves, leading to the Forerunner-Flood war
which resulted in the creation of the Halo rings. However despite their attempts they could not stop the Flood and went to the ultimate solution,
the firing of the Halo rings. The Ur-Didact opposed the usage of the rings and tried to convert the de-evolved Humans into Prometheans to fight
the Flood, but he was stopped by the IsoDidact and the Librarian and sealed on Requiem.
The rings fired, and the flood was stopped, the IsoDidact and the new Librarian, Chant-To-Green oversaw the reseeding
of the galaxy, however what happened to them is currently unknown.
Millennia’s after the Forerunners vanished, the species of the San ‘Shyuum and the Sangheili fought against each other in a war over the
remains of the Forerunner technology. Eventually however they came to a truth with the Writ of Union, afterwards they began
to absorb other species into them forming the Covenant hegemony.
Humanity rose once more, sharing much history to real life, however eventually in the late 21st century, Humanity began to explore the
Sol system and settle on other planets. This led to conflicts such as the Rain Forest Wars, and Jovian Moons Champaign’s. Eventually
in 2163 the UNSC was established by the UN to eliminate various rebel organizations in the Sol system. In the late 23rd century, Tobias
Fleming Shaw and Wallace Fujikawa created the Shaw-Fujikawa Translight Engine which allowed Humanity to use slip space
travel to go across the galaxy.
It was during this time that the Insurrection began to raise, colonies feeling that they should have no ties to the UEG and UNSC and
began to fight them for control of worlds. By 2517, the UNSC was facing a crisis of low morale due to piracy and Insurrectionist,
it was then that ONI revived the ORION Project, and with the help of Doctor Catherine Halsey, created Spartan-II’s which proved to be very
effective against the insurrection. However once 2525 came around, the Covenant made its presence known to Humanity and the Great War
began, during such time that another generation of Spartans, the S-III were created.
In 2553 the war was declared over, the Sangheili having learned the truth of the Forerunners aided Humanity in ending the Covenant and
Flood threats. However despite this, the Sangheili and Humanity (mostly UNSC), did not see eye to eye and so no alliance was formed.
In the wake of the war, the Spartan IV’s were created and unlike S-II’s and S-III’s used adults rather than children, many were stationed
on the ship the UNSC Infinity.
2557, the Master Chief landed on the shield world of Reqiuem, starting a new war: the Human-Promethean War, the UNSC came to aid once it
discovered the shield world, at the same time that Covenant Remnants did. The Master Chief freed the Ur-Didact but managed to also stop him
after his ship began to compose (turn people into Prometheans.) However if the Ur-Didact was killed is unknown at this time.
2558, the current year, after the Infinity having gone back to Reqiuem which led to the shield world being destroyed and Catherine Halsey now
captured by the Covenant Remnant, the UNSC Infinity are trying to find out what happened to the Spirit of Fire after the ship was attacked during
a meeting between Humans, the Sangheili, and Jiralhanae.
Each image is clickable!
Each image is clickable! (Flood not included since the Flood link in the Species section links to the main page of the Flood.)
Each image is clickable!
Each image is clickable.
Despite Halo 5 still being a bit off, we've still been getting new Halo content every month of this year
thus far. Through the comic series, Halo: Escalation, we've been seeing what has been going on
with the crew of the Infinity in the post-Halo 4 Spartan Ops game mode. Each issue
can be bought digitally for $3.99 on the darkhorse website.
Time till next issue:
Latest Issue (as of January 28th, 2015)
"The brilliant but obsessed Dr. Catherine Halsey has allied herself with fanatical Covenant commander
Jul ’Mdama . . . and now a deadly reckoning awaits the UNSC Infinity. The thrilling sequel to Halo 4’s
Spartan Opscontinues in this four-part story by Duffy Boudreau (BlackAcre, Bloodshot), and Sergio Ariño
(Ms. Marvel)!"
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Latest Novel (as of November 4th, 2014)
"Centuries before the Human-Covenant War would rage across the galaxy, a similar conflict erupted between the Prophets
and the Elites—two alien races at odds over the sacred artifacts left by the powerful Forerunners, who disappeared eons ago.
Although they would eventually form a stable alliance called the Covenant, there are those on both sides who question this
fateful union. From an Elite splinter group rebelling against the Covenant during the time of its founding...to a brave Prophet
caught in the machinations of the new leadership...to the root of the betrayal that would ultimately shatter the Covenant many
years later, this is the untold chapter of the most unexpected heroes emerging from a realm filled with shocking treachery
and ceaseless wonder."
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"The series takes place between the events of Halo 4 and Halo 5: Guardians. An Office of Naval Intelligence unit, fails to stop a Sangheili terrorist
from letting off a bomb on the planet of Sedra in a major city. An element is released onto all of those hit, but only if they were Human. After tracing
this element to an ruined section of Installation 04, ONI Lieutenant Commander Jameson Locke will lead a squad onto the Alpha Halo and discover the
origin of this element."
Episode One
Episode Two
Episode Three
Episode Four
Episode Five
"While Spartans get all the glory, no soldier―not even the legendary Master Chief―wins a war on his or her own. Gunnery Sergeant Edward Buck
and his team of Orbital Drop Shock Troopers played a major role in saving the Earth from all-out invasion at the end of the Covenant War―acts of bravery
and ingenuity that did not go unnoticed by the United Nations Space Command.
Now, after many Spartans have been killed in battle and the Master Chief is listed as MIA, the UNSC decides to create a new generation of Spartans to
defend humanity from threats both outside―and within. When they come to Buck with an extraordinary proposition, he is forced to make a life-altering
decision. With the Covenant War finally over, is it time for him to finally retire to the sidelines for a life he could only dream about... or is he prepared to step
up and become part of the military’s new blood?"
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I hope you enjoy this thread! Talk about any lore, questions, or about the latest Escalation comic issues.
