For this series, I have included as many particulars as I can recall and are relevant to the topic. Because these might sometimes get very specific and it can be hard to remember everything in the Halo universe, I have included links to more information regarding the events, characters, and places mentioned in these posts. For reference, Halo: Podcast Evolved and Blogging Evolved use Halopedia as our primary source of information.
Additionally, I make an attempt every post to list the novels, games, comics, and other Halo media that might get spoiled. While I might miss a minor spoiler on occasion, I have done my best to include the media that gets spoiled below. It is not required, but I recommend getting up to date on the listed media prior to reading this post for complete clarity. If you do not own any of below listed items, each is also a link to purchase via Amazon.
RELATED MEDIA
The following article makes reference to and could potentially contain spoilers for Halo: Cryptum, Halo: Primordium, Halo: Silentium, Halo: Fractures, and Halo 5: Guardians.
TL;DR
The events of The Forerunner trilogy foreshadow the upcoming events of the Reclaimer Saga. The corruption of the most powerful AI (Mendicant Bias/Cortana) by the Flood, and the theft of a Halo by said AI, foreshadows dark times coming to the future of the Halo series. Using the Forerunner trilogy as a guide, one can predict some of the future events upcoming in the next couple Halo games, including the firing of a Halo on a Human stronghold, and the return of the Flood.
Cortana, the new Mendicant Bias.
THE THEORY
While many people were surprised and disappointed by the events of Halo 5: Guardians, 343i has been pushing the Halo narrative in the direction of the Created vs the Creators for years. I won’t get into the details of that argument right now because it would need proper references and research, but if you want, go back and reread the Kilo-Five Trilogy, focusing on the interactions with Black Box. I think you will see some major foreshadowing.
Speaking of which, there is some heavy foreshadowing happening in the Forerunner trilogy in regards to the current Created story arc. What this means for the future of Halo isn’t clear, but I can make some educated guesses that hint at a very exciting story coming up in the next installment of the Halo franchise. First, let’s break down the major plot points of the Forerunner trilogy. And like I mentioned above, there are major spoilers for the Forerunner trilogy and Halo 5: Guardians going forward, so proceed at your own risk.
SOME SETUP
The situation for the Forerunners starts to spiral out of control after the test firing of a Halo at Charum Hakkor. There, Mendicant Bias, the most powerful Forerunner AI in existence, comes into contact with the Primordial and becomes infected with the logic plague. Having taken control of one Halo, Mendicant Bias eventually travels to Maethrillian and attacks, culminating in a massive battle and the destruction of the Forerunner seat of governance. From this point the Flood make huge in-roads in Forerunner territory, and quickly decimate what is left of the Forerunner military. This war culminates in two major events: The Battle of the Greater Ark, and the firing of the Halo Array. During the battle, Offensive Bias, loyal to the end, takes control of the remaining Forerunner military and attempts to stave off the Flood onslaught. While ultimately failing, Offensive Bias does buy the IsoDidact enough time to get to the Lesser Ark and fire the Halo array, cleansing the galaxy of the Flood, and setting up the events of the entire Halo universe.
REPETITION IS KEY
There is the old saying “Those who are ignorant of history are doomed to repeat it.” This saying appears in Cryptum too, and I think it has significance in the future of the Halo universe. The Forerunners had to deal with a rogue AI who was corrupted by the logic plague and ultimately turned against its creators. Sound familiar? Cortana is in a very similar situation now. She is widely considered the smartest AI ever created by humans, and similarly came into contact with the Flood. While we haven’t explicitly been told Cortana has been infected by the logic plague, it is a fairly safe assumption. Interestingly, not only is Cortana likely being manipulated by the Flood, but by the end of Halo 5: Guardians, she has taken control of a Halo. But what does this mean for the future of Halo? Extrapolating from what we currently know happened in the Forerunner trilogy and Halo 5: Guardians, here is my guess.
Like how Mendicant Bias attacked the center of Forerunner governance, Maethrillian, Cortana will likewise do the same and attack the center of human governance, Earth. Humanity will be devastated. This attack will then be the trigger for a resurgence of the Flood. These are the broad plot points I expect to see in the next Halo game. The specifics are impossible to tell, but we can try to predict what some characters might do based on who they are modelled after.
Is Roland the new Offensive Bias? I think so.
A CAST OF CHARACTERS
But who are they modelling after, if anyone? If Cortana is supposed to be the new Mendicant Bias, Who is the new Offensive Bias? It would have to be an AI, one loyal to the UNSC, and one with the power of the UNSC fleet at their fingertips. It could be Black Box, but my vote is for Roland. BB hasn’t been seen in the mainline Halo games, and he is more of a spy rather than a military leader. Roland is already the AI for the most powerful ship in the UNSC fleet, and he has shown his loyalty at the end of Halo 5: Guardians.
The next main character is Bornstellar Makes Eternal Lasting or the IsoDidact. He is a character that starts off as a child, and is forced into a situation that molds him into a soldier. And not just any soldier, but the defender of the galaxy. Sound familiar? John-117 is definitely the IsoDidact of the current Halo timeline. I fully expect him to fight valiantly against the Created and the Flood in upcoming Halo games, and also expect him to pay the ultimate sacrifice doing so. That’s right, Chief will be dead by the end of the current story arc. You read it here.
HITTING OUR LIMITS
At this point it gets a little more difficult to correlate a current timeline character with one from the Forerunner trilogy. You have the Ur-Didact, though he has already made an actual appearance, and could very well still be alive in the universe. The Librarian is another important character Cryptum and Silentium, and I don’t know that there is a character in the current universe that fits. Halsey has some of her characteristics, but I think Halsey is closer to the Master Builder than the Librarian. Then of course you have the UNSC Infinity and her captain Thomas Lasky, who is obviously an important character currently in the universe, though again he doesn’t have a good corollary in the Forerunner trilogy.
Bornstellar as a young Manipular. Forced to be a soldier, just like a certain John-117.
IN SUMMARY
So that really leaves us with three characters in the current universe that have seemingly close ties to characters in the Forerunner trilogy. And while it could be all a coincidence, I do not think it is. The events of Cryptum and Silentium are unfolding again, and very bad things are going to happen in the next installment of Halo. Cortana will fire the Halo despite the best efforts of John and Blue Team to stop her. Earth (or possibly just the Infinity) is going to get hard and the UNSC will lose a great deal of its strength. Remember, Infinity was originally designed to be the last salvation of the human race along with being a powerful warship. There is a good chance that humanity will lose most of its power and colonies and be left with the Infinity ala Battlestar Galactica. The Flood hasn’t been seen in a mainline game since Halo 3, and I expect them to make a return soon, probably at the end of the next Halo installment. Obviously the comparison of the Forerunner trilogy to the current Halo series isn’t exact, so specific events may or may not be portrayed exactly the same. However, the following can be extracted with a reasonable amount of accuracy:
Cortana will use the Halo, likely on Earth
John will be forced to retreat as the Created take the offensive
John will be sent in to put a stop to Cortana and the Created
The Flood / Precursors will reappear as the puppeteer of Cortana and the Created via the logic plague
The UNSC and Blue Team will ultimately defeat the Created and push back the Flood, but at the expense of John’s life
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