42 replies to this topic

[drossello]

So, what fits right and what doesnt? Starting with , didnt Halsey find out of Spartans III later on in the novels? Is cortana being built with forerunner staff? Was The Pillar of Atumn docking on Reach, wasnt it on space all the time? dont quite remember all from the books, but im pretty sure some staff doesnt fit...or does it?

[Postmortem]

I believe they did their best to make it fit with as few modifications to the pre-existing plot as possible. Lots of the discrepancies get explained through Halsey's journal, such as that the Cortana in the game was a fragment she split off in order to study the Forerunner computer, while allowing the Pillar of Autumn to keep the portion of Cortana that they needed. Halsey's quote about Cortana being the Forerunner computer's custodian is a little weird though, and I'm not sure what that means, let alone what sort of implications that has towards why Cortana didn't know about the Forerunner before Halo. It also says in the journal that when Halsey meets Carter, her suspicions of another Spartan project were clarified. I believe she didn't find out the details of the project until much later, in Ghosts of Onyx (I need to reread it to be sure). Can't clarify the Pillar of Autumn question, but I believe it says in the book that the ship was recently refitted. I guess they just changed it so that it was VERY recently refitted.

[Postmortem]

Also, in the Legendary video, Bungie claims that all the dates within Reach fit into the fiction canonically, and that they checked it to make sure. ?

[Vanwadilion]

Yeah, based on what's said in the game, it sounds like Cortana is a forerunner AI, but I don't see how that makes sense.

[Merguson]

Don't think she's a forerunner AI but rather the protector... safeguarding whatever data about the forerunners there was..

[Drew]

Cortana is not a Forerunner AI. Journal spoilers:

Spoiler

She's actually a system of three separate AIs, copied from flash-clones of Halsey.

[Postmortem]

It's just the line "She is its custodian." that was somewhat confusing. Doesn't necessarily mean that she is the Forerunner custodian, but a custodian in Halsey's eyes.

[Drew]

It's just the line "She is its custodian." that was somewhat confusing. Doesn't necessarily mean that she is the Forerunner custodian, but a custodian in Halsey's eyes.

Yes, the custodian of all of the Forerunner knowledge contained within that particular artifact.

[Self Induced]

Yes, the custodian of all of the Forerunner knowledge contained within that particular artifact.

Any idea what that forerunner knowledge actually is?

[Vanwadilion]

I assumed the latchkey discovery was the location of Halo, right? PS if anyone spots a PDF version of Halsey's journal, let us know. I would have loved to pick up the collector's edition, but they sold out fast.

[Postmortem]

Any idea what that forerunner knowledge actually is?

That would be my next big question.

Apparently it all has something to do with the rest of the Halo games, since Bungie stated "Without Noble Team, Chief would never have been able to do all the things he did." Not a direct quote there, but it was something along those lines. While it could simply mean that he needed a full Cortana in his armor to guide him, I tend to think that it has something to do with the Forerunner data...

[Postmortem]

I assumed the latchkey discovery was the location of Halo, right?

PS if anyone spots a PDF version of Halsey's journal, let us know. I would have loved to pick up the collector's edition, but they sold out fast.

The location of Halo was deciphered from the artifact found in the museum on Sigma Octanus IV. So latchkey definitely isn't that...

Also, keep eyes peeled on Ebay and the like. It's definitely a must for any Halo fan.

Edited by Postmortem, 29 September 2010 - 10:18 PM.

[Drew]

It's never explicitly stated what data was actually contained within the artifact, though it's assumed it has something to do with the Halo array, as that's the only reason we really beat the Covenant. Which is weird, because it brings up questions as to why Cortana was so surprised about Halo, and why she felt the need to ask so many questions about it. Though I'm guessing it's probably just a whole lot of retconning going on.

[deftech]

Bungie is the George Lucas of video games. CONFIRMED.

[Postmortem]

Which is weird, because it brings up questions as to why Cortana was so surprised about Halo, and why she felt the need to ask so many questions about it. Though I'm guessing it's probably just a whole lot of retconning going on.

I'm not so sure. Retconning expanded universe fiction such as the novels is easy enough, especially one published BEFORE Halo: CE was even out. But retconning their own work to that extent? I mean, the first Halo game was their own creation, TFOR was Nylund's. I believe it all fits in somehow, we just haven't seen the whole picture yet...

[Drew]

I'm not so sure. Retconning expanded universe fiction such as the novels is easy enough, especially one published BEFORE Halo: CE was even out. But retconning their own work to that extent? I mean, the first Halo game was their own creation, TFOR was Nylund's. I believe it all fits in somehow, we just haven't seen the whole picture yet...

What more picture is there to see, though? This is Bungie's last Halo game, meaning from here on out, it's 343 handling canon, and who knows what they'll add or change. We've discovered all of the Data Pads, and unless there is some other gigantic omission we're missing, then we have as much of the story as we're going to get.

[UHYVE]

With Reach's credits, I almost feel like the next Halo game could be a remake of Halo CE. I'm not saying I'd be happy with the idea, but you have to admit when you saw the first few seconds of Halo CE in the Reach ending, you really wanted to see more. I mean, Halo CE would probably be the most appropriate setting to clarify things about Cortana's knowledge of the Halos. It's just kinda weird, there had to be some reason that Bungie decided to refer to that knowledge, otherwise, it's just really sloppy storywriting. And I really don't see 343 going that far from canon. I'm certain they'll have been given an exhaustive guide to the Halo Universe, and probably have even had talks with Bungie about future games. The only thing I'm thinking could be a lot different is the quality of the writing.

Edited by UHYVE, 29 September 2010 - 11:26 PM.

[JCTucker]

You expect non-sloppy storytelling from a videogame company? No knock, but whereas a film has to keep threads for a couple of hours, a trilogy of games has a story that spans dozens of hours.

[Postmortem]

What more picture is there to see, though? This is Bungie's last Halo game, meaning from here on out, it's 343 handling canon, and who knows what they'll add or change. We've discovered all of the Data Pads, and unless there is some other gigantic omission we're missing, then we have as much of the story as we're going to get.

I'm not talking just within Reach's storyline. All I'm saying is 343 could come in at some later point and say "Here's a new story that explains all the contradictions within the fiction."

That's all I was implying.

[Drew]

I'm not talking just within Reach's storyline. All I'm saying is 343 could come in at some later point and say "Here's a new story that explains all the contradictions within the fiction."

That's all I was implying.

Ah. Still, doesn't that feel a little... cheap? I mean, no offense to the 343 guys, but it IS Bungie's story. Having somebody else come in and patch up a bunch of loose ends is... eh, I dunno. Guess we'll see when Halo 4 hits.