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Tuesday, November 6, 2012

TOP 7: Halo Characters

With the launch fast approaching, it's time to look at the characters and moments that make the Halo-verse so rich and immersive.
For the most part I tried to use characters from the games because characters from the books may be unfamiliar to some viewers. And I didn't want to use Chief and Cortana cause they get enough credit.

7) Dr. Halsey 

Expanded Universe/ Reach





As the creator of the Spartan II Program, she was integral in winning the war effort, on the other hand, she had to abduct six year old children and put them through a brutal training regime and genetic augmentation that about half survived to do so. The moral ambiguity in this, and her sometimes non-existent and other times crushing guilt make her an interesting character.

6) 343 Guilty Spark 
Halo CE/2/3



Introduced in Halo CE, and sometimes deplored as one of the most annoying characters in Halo, Guilty Spark, or "Lightbulb" as Johnson calls him, was a Forerunner AI tasked with watching Installation 04, or Halo, and was the main antagonist in Halo CE and a secondary one in 3, as well as an ally throughout all the games. He kinda goes crazy when it comes to his Installation though.

5) Prophet of Truth 
Halo 2/ 3


The leader of the Covenant isn't AS evil as everyone thinks. I mean sure he's a power hungry despot who lies and uses his position as head of his religion to wage a false holy war, but he did it to preserve the religion that held the Covenant together. So he's evil, almost an Emperor from Star Wars like figure, but his motives weren't completely evil.

4) Preston J. Cole
Expanded Universe


Probably the most important human during the war effort aside from Master-Chief, he created the protocol by which all UNSC ships operated under so as to not lead the Covenant to human space, and was the greatest naval leader in the UNSC.

3) Gravemind
Halo 2/ 3


The central hive mind of the parasitic Flood was the greatest threat to biodiversity in the galaxy. He also spoke in rhyme and looked like the plant from "The Little Shop of Horrors." He was a master manipulator, getting both Master-Chief and Arbiter for further his goals, and if he was the same Gravemind as the one mentioned in Forerunner lore, was responsible for the original firing of the Halo array.

2) Kurt
 Ghosts of Onyx




My personal favourite Spartan was once a member of Master-Chief's squad until his death was faked so he could perform a greater duty. Kurt was responsible for the Spartan III program and was ALMOST as badass as Master-Chief in combat. He also had probably the coolest moment of self-sacrifice in the Halo franchise.

1) Mendicant Bias
Expanded Universe




The best character was a Forerunner AI who was initially tasked with dealing with the Flood threat, but eventually grew convinced that his Forerunner masters were erroneous in their beliefs and turned on them. He all but succeeded in wiping out the Forerunners before they could fire the Halos, but was defeated by another AI, one who was made specifically to combat him. Millenia later, he sought to help defeat the Flood by guiding Master-Chief via terminals scattered throughout Halo 3, in the hopes that it might redeem itself. What's interesting about him aside from his immense contribution to Halo universe history is his actions in forcing himself into a state of rampancy to go against his programming, and then also his desire to attone, which suggests something sentient and feeling lies within, and not just circuitry.

Honourable Mention:

Sergeant Avery Johnson
Captain Keyes
Thel 'Vadamee (Arbiter)

Riley D.

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