Game Stooge

FEATURE: Master Chief’s Fate and Other Observations

• Scribbled on September 26th, 2007 by Jonah Falcon
• Filed in Features, Microsoft Xbox 360, Shooter

Having finished the campaign of Halo 3, and having seen what happens to Master Chief, there’s quite a few observations and comments that can be made about some of the mysteries solved in the game.

Needless to say, this is major spoiler stuff, so unless you want to ruin the experience, don’t click “Read more…”.

Master Chief’s “Death”

Now, the memorial videos become clear, because for all humanity knows, Master Chief died. After all, the Arbiter returned alone in the cockpit of a battleship that was sheared in half when the gateway from the distant Halo ring winked out. Considering that the Master Chief was left stranded beyond the galactic rim, you can bet it’ll take more than a few years for humans to learn of his fate - far more than the 50 years that the videos take place in.

In other words, Bungie had their cake and ate it, too. Master Chief “died”, but he didn’t, not really. Is there any clearer an allegorical metaphor? “Master Chief is the Saviour of Humanity, and he will come back someday.”

Bungie botched the ending a little. It would have been more clear to actually see the ship being torn in two, with the Arbiter’s reaction. They did it too subtly.

Humans and Forerunners

It’s made a little clearer, but not much, that Human beings are the legacy of Forerunners. Now, whether Humans literally are the Forerunners is debateable, but the game strongly hints that the Forerunners nurtured the human race into existance. New Mombasa is located where human ape-like ancestors first appeared on Earth. Perhaps the Forerunners genetically bred hominids to become the intelligent beings they are now. Whatever the case, only Humans can operate the rings, being “Reclaimers”, which means that Humans are the “offspring” of the Forerunners.

The Death of Miranda Keyes and Sgt. Johnson

While Master Chief didn’t die, two important figures did: Miranda Keyes and Sgt. Johnson, and both displayed their own humanity in their deaths - Keyes was unable to kill Johnson because of her flawed, human feelings, while Johnson, as usual, was the epitomy of the human “never quit” attitude.

The Arbiter and the Covenant

Things are relatively unresolved between the Sangheili and Humans - and heck, the Sangheili and the rest of the Covenant races. Without the Prophets to guide (or in this case, misguide) the union, it’s clear that at the very least, the Covenant has disbanded, perhaps to reconcile their roles as individual species. The Arbiter goes home, but there doesn’t even seem to be an relationship established between them and Humans. Apparently, the alliance was just to defeat the Prophets, nothing more. It will be interesting to see if Humans have a more diplomatic relationship in the future, but the Halo videos imply that 50 years later, there’s been no further contact between the two.

Shout Out to Halo: Combat Evolved

There were two clear references to the original Halo: Combat Evolved, that were pretty special. The first was a repeat of the ending of Halo: Combat Evolved - Master Chief desperately driving a Warthog in a battle against time to escape on a ship, the only difference here is that the Arbiter is along for the ride, and that there’s no timer countdown. Like the original, it too is an exciting romp that proves that the best games don’t end with a end boss battle…

…though the “end boss” of Halo 3 is perhaps one of the funniest, and most pathetic, end boss of them all: Guilty Spark 343. Eat Spartan Laser, Monitor.

The other reference is a pretty sweet bookending. Halo: Combat Evolved began with Master Chief coming out of cryogenic stasis. Halo 3 ends with him getting back into stasis. He’s the perfect soldier - he’ll be there when we need him most.