Pratik Handore
‘Halo’ introduces viewers to the rich and immersive lore of the video game franchise of the same name. The science fiction series is set in the 26th Century and focuses on a war between humanity and the hostile alien group known as Covenant. It is developed for television by Kyle Killen and Steven Kane and features some classic elements from the original games.
In the series premiere episode, Master Chief Petty Officer John-117, a super-soldier of the Spartan-II program, encounters a mysterious object that alters the course of his life. Therefore, viewers must be looking for more details about the artifact and its true nature. Here is everything you need to know about the object and its importance in the ‘Halo’ universe! SPOILERS AHEAD!
What is the Object? Is It a Halo Ring?
In the series premiere episode of ‘Halo,’ titled ‘Contact,’ Master Chief Petty Officer John-117 leads the Silver Team on a mission to Madrigal, a planet and Outer World colony of humans. On the mission, the Silver Team fights a group of aliens from the Covenant, a coalition of various alien races threatening humanity. After defeating the aliens, Master Chief’s crew investigates the caves where the aliens were conducting an excavation. In the caves, Master Chief encounters a mysterious alien artifact dubbed the “object.”
After interacting with the object, Master Chief sees a vision about his childhood. Due to the experimentation on him by Dr. Catherine Elizabeth Halsey through the Spartan-II program, Master Chief should be unable to access memories from his past. Therefore, it is evident that the artifact has uncanny abilities. Later, the object wipes out nearly the entire UNSC headquarters on Planet Reach, allowing Master Chief and Kwan Ha to escape from the military organization.
From its appearance and abilities, the object appears to be one of the Halo Rings. In the video games, the franchise’s namesake objects are a set of very powerful tools that collectively form the megastructures known as the Halo Arrays. According to the lore established in the games, the Halo Rings are superweapons capable of causing mass destruction. When combined, they form ringworlds with their own unique weather and wildlife. In the games, there are several Halo Arrays that are formed by combining different Halo Rings.
The Halo Rings were created by the Forerunners, an advanced, highly intelligent, and ancient alien race. The Halo Rings were designed and built by Master Builder Faber after encountering the alien parasitic creature known as The Flood in the Milky Way. The Forerunners also created a megastructure known as the Ark to facilitate the creation and replacement of Halo Rings. The Halo Rings were originally intended to kill all sentient life in Milky Way and, in turn, defeat The Flood.
In the games, the devices serve as a last resort against The Flood. However, they’re also used for research purposes, and it is believed that they could help repopulate the galaxy. The members of Covenant worship the Forerunners as Gods and believe that the Halo Rings are a part of a greater religious prophecy. Thus, they call the objects Sacred Rings and actively seek to retrieve them. The Human-Covenant conflict is just starting the heat up in the television series, and the Halo Rings are bound to play a major role in it. Therefore, the devices of mass destruction serve as a MacGuffin that drives the narrative forward in new and exciting directions.
Read More: Who is Kwan Ha in Halo? Is She Based on a Video Game Character?
