Halo made news when the game first debuted in 2001 and has kept up its momentum with many sequels and other tie-ins.
In 2022, it returns with a live-action that will not only warrant critique from die-hard fans and gamers, but also pique the interest of those unaware of the game, but are thoroughly fond of Sci-Fi.
If you consider yourself the latter and are looking for a character guide in order to get acquainted with the series, this list is the perfect one for you.
Let’s start with the basics: In Halo’s universe, the Forerunners held the mantle of power and responsibility for many years, before the Precursors fought them to take back what they rightfully thought was theirs.
Although the Forerunners managed to get rid of the Precursors, they didn’t realize that their enemies had left a little entity that would ensure a new generation of Precursors were born.
That’s when everything went sideways—instead of new Precursors, the entity developed into a parasitic alien that threatened all life in space.
This left the Forerunners with just one solution: Create the seven ring-shaped megastructures called Halos that would destroy all sentient life within range, and in turn deprive the parasite of any food. Then, they took off and were never seen again.
1The Covenant
The easiest way to understand what the Covenant is to think of them as a cult that views the Halos as a good thing. Instead of something that will end all life, they believe that the Halos will bring them some sort of transcendence.
As such, their mission is to activate it much to the chagrin of anyone else who is sane in this universe.
In the show, Julian Bleach, Karl Johnson, and Hilton McRae play the Covenant Prophets of Mercy, Truth, and Regret.
2Master Chief Sierra-117 “John”
Played by Pablo Schreiber, Master Chief John-117 is the protagonist of the series and games. Players usually navigate the game from his perspective because of which he’s always in his get-up, including the infamous helmet.
Although he is rarely seen without his suit in the games, the show will switch this up in order to gauge more of Master Chief’s personality.
The United Nations Space Command (UNSC) created supersoldiers known as Spartans to curb rebellions in their colonies. After the antagonistic Covenant invaded Reach, Master Chief John-117 is one of the few remaining Spartans left.
3Cortana
If your first guess is that Cortana could be an AI companion, you’re spot on! Jen Taylor who voices the character in the games will reprise her role as Master Chief’s AI assistant.
In the game, she plays a key role in helping Master Chief in his missions by always providing tactical information. She’s also someone he can fully trust and rely on.
I’d say the only difference in the show so far is that Cortana doesn’t look like her game-self, that is, she’s not blue and holographic. Here’s hoping that die-hard fans can get past this glitch.
(Fun fact: Microsoft’s virtual assistant was named after this Halo character, not the other way around!)
4Dr. Catherine Halsey
Remember the making of Spartans I mentioned above? Yup, that was all the doing of Dr. Catherine Halsey. Natascha McElhone plays the authoritarian figure to whom the lines of ethics are massively blurred.
You see, making Spartans isn’t a simple, voluntary task. It involved kidnapping kids, putting them through fatalistic trials, and then conducting a bunch of cybernetic experiments on them.
Are these acts forgivable because they’re done for the greater good? The show will let you dwell on that.
Another thing you need to know about Halsey is that she and Jacob Keyes used to be romantically involved and even had a daughter named Miranda—both of who are major characters in the show. Things are about to get complicated.
5Captain Jacob Keyes
Captain Keyes played by Danny Sapani is a well-accomplished UNSC commander. In the show, he will act as a confidant to Master Chief, but I’d keep my skeptical glasses on for any false moves.
The thing is Captain Keyes is an extremely lovable character who eventually suffers a twisted fate.
The show hasn’t revealed where exactly it picks up Keyes’ story from, but I’m pretty sure they’re going to make us admire the character before pulling the rug out from under our feet.
6Dr. Miranda Keyes
Last but not least is Olive Gray’s Dr. Miranda Keyes. Like I told you, she’s Halsey and Keyes’ daughter; this might be a detail that even the games’ players may not remember because of how independent she is as a character and that her connection to her mother is only revealed later.
She clearly has some issues with Halsey, because despite being legally in her custody, she chose to go live with her father, Captain Keyes.
I know what you’re wondering and the answer is yes, she’s one of the good guys and an ally to Master Chief.
7Supporting Cast
In addition to the main cast above, we have a few other key players as well. Starting off we have an original character created for the series called Kwan Ha Boo played by Yerin Ha. She is an insurrectionist from the outer colony planet Madrigal.
Shabana Azmi helms the role of Admiral Margaret Parangosky, a UNSC admiral who, as we’ve seen in the trailer, does not commend Halsey’s methods.
Bokeem Woodbine will be playing Soren-066, a Spartan officer who deserted his posts, while Kate Kennedy, Bentley Kalu, and Natasha Culzac will be playing members of Master Chief’s Silver Team.
About Halo
Halo is an American live-action sci-fi television series based on the Halo video game franchise. It is developed by Steven Kane and Kyle Killen for Paramount+.
The series follows a 26th-century war between the United Nations Space Command and the Covenant, a theocratic-military alliance of several advanced alien races determined to eradicate the human race.
The series stars Pablo Schreiber, Natascha McElhone, Charlie Murphy, Jen Taylor, Shabana Azmi, Bokeem Woodbine, Kate Kennedy, Natasha Culzac, Yerin Ha, and Bentley Kalu.
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