However, the show also makes the Halo ring a lot more of a spiritual concept than a place. As in the games, the Covenant believe it will bring them to a higher plane of existence (and/or a military victory). Master Chief’s visions of the Halo suggest it symbolizes something almost like a religion for him, too. It’s a place where he can find answers about his own life.
The show will likely send Master Chief to the physical ring eventually — after all, the ring world is pivotal to the entire mythology of the franchise. However, with the series adding so many other sub-plots along the way, it’s entirely unclear when anyone will put boots on a Halo outside of a vision.
What Happened When Chief and Cortana Merged?
Master Chief’s master plan was something he never wanted to do. With the Spartans badly outnumbered during an attack on a Covenant stronghold and Chief unable to touch the alien artifacts as himself, he forced Cortana to take over his mind to save him. After all, that’s what Dr. Halsey meant for her to do: to eventually replace the Spartan’s mind and body, creating a killing machine with no pesky human emotions. Even though Chief now trusts Cortana, it’s still a worst-case scenario for a man who was just starting to discover his own past and decide what life he wanted for himself.
But now that it’s happened, what does it actually mean? The audience and the characters are both not sure. Chief hasn’t spoken yet. When he does, will it be Cortana’s voice? There are, of course, all kinds of sci-fi hand-waving one could do to pull them apart again. Halsey herself, who created the process and might know how to reverse it, is also still alive…
What Is Halsey’s Long-Term Plan?
The doctor is out. Halsey escaped from the UNSC by planting a flash clone, the same kind of ruse she used to trick the Spartans’ parents. She’s a wanted woman in UNSC space, but also still clearly has resources, allies, and a lot of plans. With her desire to create a “perfect” humanity free of emotion, it’s likely she’s going to be set up as another villain searching for the mysterious, but allegedly all-powerful, Halo.
The Covenant may or may not fit into those plans. She’s clearly willing to betray the UNSC in order to try to save humanity, which might also make her strategically interesting to Kwan’s Insurrectionists.
