Thermopylae | Thoughts and Theories 

Shivers went down my spine when I heard the word 'Library'.

It’s a wonderful idea to consider the new Halo viewers caused by the TV show, how they are in the dark with most of the established lore of the franchise. I agree to you making videos to assist the new viewers

The scene where halsey and crew get into the forerunner... city? Lab?, is so good, paramount does a great job creating mystery and wonder and awe at the encounter, and i loved that they kept the forerunner body dead and didnt magically bring it back in some over theatrical way, and thr glimpse of the city sized structure near them just adds to the awe of what the forerunners are, what a great scene.

I think the reason Makee lost her "blessing" is just that she was dead once, the covernant revived her or even cloned her.

Hey I just wanna say thanks for giving the show a fair shake. You're the only creator I watch in regards to the show and it's in large part that you don't take every opportunity to shit on it. I love your breakdowns and the way you treat the show with dignity

Yeah.. a extrapolation for the Silver timeline and its differences with the mainline canon is a good idea

I think the artifacts can read the intentions of the user. Where Chief is trying to protect humans, McKee is working with non-reclaimers and thus a low priority

I haven’t watched this show yet but that story with Halsey and the others discovering onyx was really friggin cool. The forerunner art style looks to merge the classic and 343 era styles together wonderfully, and the flood teases are really foreboding, I wouldn’t mind seeing Halsey and the others dealing with a Flood outbreak and rushing to Halo to warn John. And while Keyes is dead and I’m sad he’s gone, it looks like perhaps Akhardson (pardon my spelling) might be replacing his role in the story

I think the relationship between John and Makee will be similar to Adam and Eve. Overall, I like the show for what it is. I really want Paragosksy jettisoned out of an airlock....

I ponder if Ackerson will take over Keyes Halo CE role in a way. Lands on the ring, finds the Flood alongside Halsey and Miranda and Kwan. Halsey, Miranda, Kwan get saved/escape, while Ackerson is captured and taken by the flood and assimilated into the Proto Gravemind. He fundamentally has the same knowledge that Keyes had that would be valuable to the Flood. Plus Chief will finally get to punch a hole in Ackerson.

I'm happy that there are people like you who actually think about the show and are not looking ONLY for the bad things... thank you! sometimes I think I'm the only one who likes/loves this show...

I appreciate and value your breakdowns in regard to the Halo TV Show. You cover it objectively, and breaking it down extremely well. I’ve been a Halo fan for quite some time, but the deeper lore has always been lost on me, so these breakdowns really help me enjoy the show more. And in regards to what you said in the beginning of the video, I would like that kind of content. The Silver Timeline has significant enough differences to justify that. While many things can be largely the same, small decisions can bring us to different events in a major way. Thank you for these videos. 🙏

Flood is Back

Soren actually seemed like the ancient Greece Spartans with his son. Which fits as he was talking about Thermopylae.

I legit cried tears of joy and victory after this episode. It was so powerfully written, scored, designed, acted and executed that I was brought to tears. This is what Halo is.

I’m down for more Silver Timeline content about the Difference! It’s been very fun lately coming up with theories on the upcoming events which is something I really enjoy about the Silver Timeline

The Forerunner sections were pretty awesome this Ep. The outside blended with the soil well, like Alpha Halo. The inside, pure Forerunner. So cool!

I don't want this season to end so soon. I think I could get behind Soren as Johnson, but I'd prefer not to close off the opportunity for new actors to portray these characters if they can introduce them well whether in the finale or the next season. This episode is setting up a lot of action that I hope the finale delivers on. A great episode all in all.

Thank you for being so level headed when it comes to the show

YES PLS!! This Show deserves more love; coming from an Deep lore Halo Fan

Can someone please acknowledge that they are communicating faster than light? Almost instantaneously. That was not possible at humans and even covenant level of technology.

Typically, and of course this doesn't mean this HAS to happen, but a narrative tool is to "kill" a character such as Keyes and not show a body for a purposeful return. I imagine something like Keyes showing up in the Autumn could be used next episode to turn the tide of a losing battle. Thats definitely a little bit of hopium, but dont write it off until it's over 👀

who does everyone think they get to play 343 guilty spark?

As a father, I can understand Sorens thinking here. Every father, while we have a desire to protect our children, also want to see they achieve new heights and grow. Soren looks at the training as a moment that defined him and what it meant to something to him. Just like how soldiers in the U.S. army have the FTX event or how Marines have the Crucible. Painful, powerful, refining. I get it.

I just found out my friends girlfriend is cousins with Charlie Murphy who acted Makee in the halo series in Wexford Ireland when I was talking to her about TV series and Halo was brought up. Her reaction was, “I have a cousin who’s in that show” and when I asked what her cousins name was she said Charlie Murphy lmao. What a small world we live in😂

Hey, just wanted to comment and let you.know that I really appreciate your episode discussions. You don't go into it on the hate bandwagon and for someone who sees the flaws, but enjoys it anyway, am really happy to just have someone to "discuss" it with. Keep up the awesome content!

It looks like Halo. It feels like Halo. A different Halo, but still, Halo. Good enough for me

Theory Chief and Maquee are suppose to mirror the Didact and Librarian possibly they have their essence in their DNA/gene song in halo lore

I come here for even-handed review and recap on Halo the TV series.

Halo mega construcx (lego) have tv models available......1 pack clearly has the flood characters........SO CANT WAIT!!!!

I NEED to see Miranda's hand, I hope im wrong but I believe the artifact the Mummy was holding was contaminated with spores!

I thought the fact that the UNSC knows where the Halo ring is in Silver timeline is strange. Because it means that Master Chiefs crash landing on Halo and it being a kind of survival story with no backup except for other survivors doesnt really make sense anymore. Unless somehow the Halo does a random slipspace jump to avoid an incoming explosion from the spike. The story of the Halo in season 3 is shaping up to be even more different from the events of Halo CE than i imagined. Unless in this last episode they manage to set a lot of things into motion. The biggest things i think they need to ensure match Halo CE to even somewhat loosely keep what make it great are; no UNSC backup except for the other survivors on a single crashed UNSC war ship (either ONI/UNSC dont send any or the Halo changes location so they cant), Master Chief is the only Spartan 2 or 3 on the ring (maybe except Perez who can have her own story going on and meets up with Master Chief at some point), Makee dies or stays with the Arbiter so Master Chief is mostly alone with Cortana, they introduce a new character to fit the role of Captain Keyes. I dont necessary want them to stick to the game scene by scene but they gotta loosely stick to most of the same story beats

Really enjoyed this episode, setting up some really good stuff. Is Miranda gonna suffer the same fate as her father in the canon?!

if you remember Perez Did get very suspicious why the simulation didnt progress after she completed her mission... Dont know if anyone else noticed that.

My predictions for episode 4: -Kai commits a Jorge in sacrifice for Perez to live, throwing her off the ship. -Sorren takes Kai's place as spartan 3 trainer Also the mummified forrunner was actually the Librarian

Perez look like she was about to cry when she saw John again like seeing in your dad come back from work after being on a business trip for 6 months

Yeah, i'd be super interested in that kinda series. Never got into the books, drilled the PC titles back in the day but on the major lore i'm at a loss on what's different vs what isn't. As a guy who appreciates how the sausage is made during production and understanding why they might have made decisions in the TV series that would be great.

Actually pretty good finally understanding basic idea of film / show making vs video games

Similar to how makee can no longer react with the artifact as well as Chief after revival maybe the Spartan II's need to find the artifact which react to them and maybe Chief is just a special case because he's the reclaimer.

Firstly bud Thankyou, I have recently found your channel and it is really refreshing to find a long time fan such as yourself rather than moaning about small things you are explain where the story is going it also proves certain people should not be moaning as much as they are because you are able to connect the Law as best as you can to the silver team again a big Thankyou and you have definitely earned yourself a regular viewer, and side note I have only watched two of your episodes and I have learned a awful lot and I felt I new quite alot as it was how wrong I wS I look forward to viewing many more episodes ✌️

I wonder if it’s possible that the differing dna of different classes forerunner makes it way into this. With Makee losing her ability and the other Spartans inability to activate the artifact if they might descend from different classes. Maybe the chief has forerunner dna aligning with the warrior class as opposed to makee and other Spartans possibly having dna related to the builder class. Gonna need someone that understands the portion of the lore more than I do to better to fully flesh out that theory

Love the idea of making a primer series for new halo viewers

What an episode 🔥 confirmation of The Gravemind and the depiction of the spread of The Flood were so well executed. Can’t wait for season 3 and beyond!

I personally never played the games. But years ago I started watching your channel that's what actually got me into the Lore of halo. I love the TV show is it perfect no I don't know any Show that is. But I love this episode because we're getting closer to a lot of things that will be super cool to set up for next year. I know everybody wants to see the forerunners and the flood. Overall this year I've been happy and I'm excited to see the season finale

makee was shot in last episode of season one, she could have lost her ability to activate the artifact due to her being revive

Im surprised no one has pointed out that the Admiral thats responding to the Covenant Fleet on Soel System is Admiral Whitcomb from Halo First Strike. And i wonder if he’s gonna play a role in S3 In regards to the Arbiter and the Heretics. I think this Arbiter is not long for this season. I think Chief is gonna have his proper duel with the Arbiter and is gonna kill him to make room for Thel.

My family that never really cared about Halo love the show and really enjoy it. I enjoy it because I love Halo and I know it isn't the same timeline, but knowing that they like it makes it better.

I’m new to Halo. I knew that the game existed but nothing about its universe. I’m a fan of sci-fi which drew me to the tv show. It’s difficult to find a channel that provides a decent (and fairly objective) episode review. Thankfully, I found yours. The information you discussed in this review has provided a lot of insight into things like The Flood that I would have otherwise missed. If you publish videos that provide more insights into these events/characters, I will watch.

when they walk into the flood lab I got goosebumps and then realized I wasn't ready to see a live action flood consuming humans ☠️

Been a fan since 04 played all the games, read the good books and watch your vids a lot lol. This is a great idea for people watching the show.

35:18 "You ever feel like you died but nobody told you?"

Thel is probably not good to be a thing, but it would be cool to have Var 'Gatanai, Thel Vadam, and Jul 'Meama which I assume exists

I'm hopeful that the Halo will detect the reactor explosion and will safely teleport the few Cov cruisers nearby along with the relevant UNSC key figures to an untraceable location, thereby giving us the important isolation piece of Halo CE.

Halsey and her daughter are fighting over what that room might be, Halsey says as the first lead scientist on the project, it was a library because of the nodes in the wall, in Halo CE 343 takes you to the library to retrieve the index where it is telling you all about how it was built to study the flood and that it was a bad idea. Halsey might be right it is a library

I'm pretty sure the Flood is influencing Kwan with the logic plague. Not gene song. Gene song doesn't make sense! She never was in the super soldier program.

@Installation00 Also wanted to ask, how's the real life Mjolnir helmet coming along?

Don't forget chief Miranda's, the guy who trained the Spartan twos and help Kurt train the sport and threes

I think that would be a great idea there's a lot of times I'm watching the TV show and end up trying to explain some of the established lore to my wife vs the silver timeline big fan of yours still keep up the work

It was a really good episode 8/10!and I’m going out on a limb. I think Makee is a clone grown by Perangaski to infiltrate the covenant with Cortana

They literally have a video of spartan threes getting augmented that was a trailer for halo Reach. I can’t believe they didn’t decide to use this kind of theme for the spartan threes in the halo TV show😊

Without you, i would remain out with the fringe group that are very casual fans. I've played 2 to 3 times. Never knew who Master Chief is and that his armor is special. I love the show and story. Your channel is BY FAR the best Halo channel on the net

I hope they actually make the flood as horrifying as it should be.

I think the reason Kessler backs away, is because they may be flash clones. So this one may not know who his parents are. Just a thought. I know Ackerson was playing with clones to taunt Halsey, but there could be more at play where they’re training flash clones.

I think Makee lost her ability to interact with the artifacts by dying, we still don't know exactly how she was brought back to life, could she be some sort of Frankenstein's monster?? That part of her dna that makes her a reclaimer is no longer in her body. Maybe because of the limitations of Convenant technology (Engineers ??) they removed it or didn't think it was important to put back in when they healed her.

Finally someone was able to think about the rest of us!!!!!! Tv show only and expand from that. I loved watching GOT how the people who had read the books could provide differences and similarities while understanding this is a different animal

100% behind you covering silver timeline / TV show content. It can only do good things for the brand as a whole, as well as adpoting new subscribers, more income to allow you to produce even more content for us. Its a win win. Plus, If you don't do it, someone else will and they won't do it as well as you. So lets just park that there.

Yes, by all means, more primer videos on Halo lore within the context of the Silver timeline. I think that would be very useful to many of the new fans brought into the Halo universe through the TV series and also to fans from the games, novels and deep lore.....Another fantastic video critiquing the series.....well done mate 👍 ....one question about Kessler. You made mention your thoughts in a previous episode on the reason he was taken by the UNSC about him being of interest to them because he was born of a Spartan father. Do you think that the UNSC or ONI are using him to start up making Spartan super soldiers again, as Chief mentioned, possibly because of Kessler's DNA, ? .....I can't wait for the final episode next week, though I'm sad it's coming to an end till hopefully next season...I'm wishing they made a elongated finale of an hour or more, seems I can never get enough.

I would love break downs on the series lore, it feels worthy considering how much paramount and the cast have commited to the show, also you make a great point that halo has become too large of a world to feel welcoming and the series does a good job of throwing people into the world and giving them a glimpse of it all before dealing with all the technicalities of gameplay, story arch over multiple games and books, and still getting a feel for the important players

Compressing the material will boost the thermonuclear yield, but you still need sufficient fuel - which is problematic because you need billions of tons of material even with 100% annihilation.

I'm new to the Halo universe, and have enjoyed your thoughts and knowledge on the show to explore the world more!

Yes please! Halo newbies need this and u would do a great job.

I like how they're not glossing over the Spartans having emotions and not understanding them having taken out their suppression pellets.

I’m a fan of the TV Show! Yes, I would enjoy hearing what you have to say about the difference in the Halo Story. Love all your content.

I am both interest and worried how Paramount is going to depict the Flood. I do like the hindsight of them being alluded to as "the boogieman/monster."

are we just not gonna mention the fact that miranda just released flood spores/precursor dust?

I feel pretty certain that a lot of the decisions made in the show are a direct result of budget constraints. That's why makee exists. Thats why it focuses on her and not the fight.

Love your videos and lore

I was writing a comment predicting what might happen with the season two finale and season three…. I’m sad to say that I think I might have predicted the entire season 3 plot line and season 2 finale. I’m not even joking. I won’t say what I’m 99% sure is going to happen, if I’m right, (and I pray that I’m wrong), I don’t want to spoil anything. Thanks so much Installation 00! We appreciate you giving those of us, who don’t hate the show, a voice!

As a long time Halo fan, I think that Halo is suffering from the Warhammer Effect, or an extreme lore barrier to entry. Having the show is great, but I'm with you 00, it is our job as guardians of the hobby and lore to put out a hand and lead the more general public into the better, deeper lore.

I'm sure chief is going to help Kai and the spartan 4s with their mission.

Another reason i think john spared ackerson is that john was trying to be more just and didnt want to kill or hurt any more humans because he also tried diplomacy first on the last oni squad before the ackerson scene, he also had that moment where he stared at his posters which may have inspired him to be more just

The depiction of the virus induced fusion felt like it went to far with solar system scale destruction rather than just planetary scale.

Wonderful idea on lore for the show! Hell yeah. I’m old school halo, but I also LOVE this show and it’s obviously unique compared to cannon lore. And you’re right, for newbies it would help them sooooo much! DO IT!!!

I played the games from the first one back when I was in middle school and the timelines are different but how creative could the tv show creators be if they only followed the original story. As a sci-fi nerd i like the show It's pretty awesome.

I think it's a great idea to have an extrapolated series to show the new fans of the show what Halo really is and means to the gaming/books fans. Also to show how different the 2 are. I think you're right on the money with Kai, but, Perez has been given almost as much screen time as her this season. Calling it now, Perez survives somehow through Kai's actions and will go on to recruit either new spartan 3s, or start spartan 4s. Perez has the feel of Sarah Palmer, imo. I think you're right about Soren possibly taking a Johnson role. 100% with you on the Heretic Elites! YES!!🤘 In regards to the ONI operative that the master chief knocked out...did she have a name? Maybe in the light of the truth on Reach, Parangosky will be replaced by her? Will we see Onyx turn "inside out" with the sentinels and Dyson Sphere?

I think it would be interesting as it would make for interesting for comparing and contrasting the differences between the 2 timelines.

You should make the videos that break down the difference between time lines. Years ago I read the Spartan IIIs were made up of people that are basically refugees from and alien attack, and that the Spartan IVs were kids that lost all they family for the same reasons. And that the augmentation was not as harsh as the Spartan IIs. Point is that a lot of people I know, just now starting to get into Halo because of the show, are asking these questions to me. People want to know about the difference of the TV writes and what has already been written. After a fan of Halo has gone on the internet to see the difference in time line, you said it right in the beginning of the video👍 and after this episode, everyone will be looking for that kind of information.

Another amazing breakdown. I’m a new Halo fans, and would also love to watch videos about tropes, lore fondations of Halo, ect to get a better understanding of the franchise, please!

Slower episode, but killer all the same. I *loved* the Forerunner architecture and am stoked/terrified to see the Flood. Will we actually see them in the finale? As for your question, I have been in the Halo world essentially since the beginning but would personally watch a lore breakdown/introduction from the Silver perspective. I, for one, think it's a great idea.

I think doing Silver Timeline videos wouldn't be a bad shout. You're clearly one of the few content creators giving it a fair shout, so maybe throwing a few videos out there may not be a bad idea. I'd question perhaps if there are the type of Halo TV fans that have never played the games that are also the type of nerds to care about Titanium-A hulls vs Titanium-B or the specific chemicals used in augmentations. Or, what necessarily the difference would be. But yeah, actually covering the differences between Blue and Silver Timelines might be fun. Honestly though, I prefer the more thematic/character based discussion you do over the technicalities, at least when it comes to the TV show.

In regards to why Makee can't operate the forerunner device, in the first season she was shot in the chest. And given the Sanghelis lack of medical resources and the covenant's possible lack or limited medical resources. Plus the fact that when Makee is branding herself, you Don't see any sign of scar tissue anywhere on her chest. Make's me think that she maybe a clone! The forerunner device may sense that and not except her as a Reclaimer.

Thank you for your excellent content and your suggestion for content for the Silver Timeline. I know the games, but I didn't come to HALO through the games either. My first contact with HALO and further interest was triggered by the MEGA building block sets 2016/2017. I was interested in the minifigures and later the story behind them. Then I looked into the books and was amazed by the huge universe. I really welcomed the TV series and am a real fan of it. Yes, I can understand some of the criticism from game fans. However, you always have to remember how fans like me joined Halo. I would have been very bored by a TV series in which every episode was all shooting and fighting. I really like what was gradually built up over season 1 and season 2. That's why I would very much welcome the opportunity to see the other side in a constructive way. A comparison of Silver Timeline and Games/Books Canon would be very good. But I would also be a fan of extra content on the Silver Timeline.

I really enjoy your perspective. I picked up on the same thing when I heard the priest mdamas name. I wonder will we see thel vadam?

Do you have a Spotify to listen to your video it's hard when driving to listen to you

I've been a pseudo-fan for Halo, never played the games before until recently with steam, but I've also seen some videos about the game's lore and characters. It would be pretty cool if you did actually cover the proper basics people should know about Halo

Myself and family are watching Halo TV series, all of us have never played Halo the game. We're all fans now of Halo ... I'm really enjoying it, but as you mention, I quickly realised the lore aspects in the TV show are lacking compared to the source material. I'm looking forward to read the novels and learn more about the Spartans.

It's a great idea for new people and others that have a hard time understanding the stuff, I have to disclaim that I haven't watched more than a couple of the first episodes of season 1. As for the silver timeline I think the main timeline should just be called 'the halo universe' since I have the feeling they call it silver timeline as an excuse for disrespecting the already existing universe.

It's a great idea that you have. I think it'll be very similar to the legends vs canon timelone of star wars. Both have merit

They should be compiling all of the cutscenes from the games, and release it as a tv series. That would be it...

So if you watch with subtitles on. Last episode does name the priest, Uto Mdama. I however did not catch that flood symbol there and the words didnt actually click with me until your breakdown. Overall very good episode.