Halo TV series: 5 reasons it went wrong (and 5 ways it can improve in S2)

The Halo TV series was a highly anticipated event for old gamers and fans of the sci-fi genre. From the various trailers and TV spots, the show did promise a lot, with some spectacular designs for the Spartans, agreeable CGI for the aliens, and the overall feel of a good space-bound show.

However, the one question for fans was:

“Would it feel like Halo?”

This was not evident in the marketing. Getting all the looks right was one thing, but Halo is much more than its appearance. With well-developed characters and established lore, it had a significant tone and feel, which was sorely missed in the TV series.

As complaints were levied for various reasons, some of which were admittedly unfair, many were actual criticisms against the show’s depiction of many characters and settings that went against the grain of the fan base.

However, despite its lackluster reception, the live-action series will get a Season 2, which is still in pre-production.

Note: This article reflects the writer’s opinions.

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Five reasons Halo TV series tanked

1) Not Master Chief

Pablo Schreiber as Master Chief (Image via Paramount)

Let’s get the obvious out of the way. The Master Chief, or Petty Officer John 117 depicted in the show, had little in common with the Chief that video game players and comic readers were familiar with.

Paramount stated early on that this show was a different timeline from the main Halo continuity, which meant many aspects of the series would change.

This did not, however, permit them to completely rewrite the character of Master Chief into unfamiliar territory. It is one thing to start a character at a point before what made them great, but it seems this was also not the case.

Characters continually marvel at Chief’s legend and his feats of military prowess, something the audience only gets to witness once in the entire nine episodes.

Constantly having characters like Halsey and Captain Keyes speak about how Chief is the best soldier while audiences see him stumble at every hurdle seems a bit conflicting, to be frank. ‘Show, don’t tell’ is an elementary lesson that writers need to learn.

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2) Elizabeth Halsey disappoints

Natascha McElhone as Dr. Elizabeth Halsey (Image via Paramount)

While this change can be pardoned due to the separate timeline, it still detracts from what could have been. Dr. Elizabeth Halsey’s arc was one of the better ones in the show, seeing this cold, calculating scientist do whatever it takes to get her way and ultimately revealing that she cares little for humanity and its prosperity.

She has a slightly different persona in the main timeline, with her being a significantly morally gray character. Halsey knows that abducting children for the Spartan program was a questionable action and suffers from the guilt of her choices.

However, unlike the manipulating and controlling character in the show, Halsey is open about these choices and does not withhold them from John in other media.

She is a more layered character with her own motivations but is never outright at odds with the UNSC and Chief. Her maniacal persona is revealed through Cortana, created from Elizabeth’s own brain scan, in Halo 5: Guardians.

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3) N*dity

Master Chief and his bare backside (Image via Paramount)

Ah yes, the cream of the crop from all the complaints against this show. This is not to say that n*dity is unacceptable in any television show or movie, far from it.

It is excellent when it is well implemented and required in any narrative about themes of the piece of entertainment media it is featured in. That being said, no one wanted to see Master Chief’s backside.

To be fair, it was not like the games could do this even if they had wanted to. The franchise started as a first-person shooter in 2001 with Combat Evolved.

Any hopes of seeing Chief’s naked derriere were lost there, even for those who fell in love with the 7 feet tall soldier clad in green Mjolnir armor.

And yet, intimate scenes with characters’ clothes off have never been a thing in Halo. In fact, for a long time, Halo didn’t even feature any emotional content.

When it was featured in the later games from 343 Industries, these happened in the heat of battle, with characters struggling to carry the burdens they shouldered.

Yet Paramount went ahead with a s*x scene because that’s what Halo is to them, possibly.

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4) Positively pitiful plotlines

Kwan Ha at the start of her journey (Image via Paramount)

One of the biggest flaws with this series was the plotlines, which were shoddy, to begin with, and easily traced to their eventual conclusion before the show even ended.

The most noticeable of these was the Chief and Cortana arc, which started with the former not trusting the AI implanted into him in Episode 3.

While series fans knew that these two have to work together eventually, it was evident that John would learn to trust Cortana by the show’s end. The human character of Kwan, whose anger over her father’s death fueled her for most of the show, was also expected to have been resolved and somehow linked back to Chief.

The first half of this was accomplished, while seeds for the latter were sown.

Other characters had little to no development, including Jacob Keyes, who merely owned up to his involvement in the Spartan program with a somewhat “non-apology” apology.

On the other hand, Miranda Keyes starts the show hating her mother (Halsey), continues hating her mother, and ends the show hating her mother.

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5) No Halo

The location of the Halo ring is revealed (Image via Paramount)

Finally, the crux of the problem, which the original game succeeded with, but the show somehow extraordinarily missed.

In 2001, Halo: Combat Evolved, from developer Bungie, launched with a simple premise: a military vessel crash lands on a mysterious space station in the shape of a ring. This structure is dubbed Halo and is where the game takes place.

The main story revolves around and ends with it being destroyed.

See how the title called Halo is wholly centered around the eponymous object? It’s simple yet commendable storytelling.

The series, however, features no Halo’s, barring holograms and dream sequences, and isn’t even the driving factor until the last few episodes. This is just a symptom of a much larger problem.

Halo is essentially a simple premise: its humanity vs a theocratic alien organization, at the crux of which lie the Halo rings. In terms of a first season, the series could have just featured a similar setup instead of complicating the mix and introducing new lore, which was divisive at best.

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Five ways to fix series in Season 2

1) Musical Mjolnir Mix

Halo: Infinite has some great thematic music from the series (Image via 343 Industries)

Season 1 featured the central Halo theme now and then, especially whenever the topic of the Halo installation came up.

Yet, in terms of some good musical cues, it was highly lacking. It might have also been since the series did not feature much in terms of firefights, which is where the music of the Halo games really shines.

One of the most missed themes was the entire musical theme known as ‘Installation 04’ from the original game, which has since featured in all of the mainline titles in the series.

It has since been remixed, remastered, and stands as some iconic pieces of video game music to check out. Halo 2’s Mjolnir Mix is highly recommended for fans of rock music.

For Season 2 to have any hopes of bringing around fans of the series, a suggestion would be to use similar music more. Or hire a composer who has worked on Halo games before.

A request would be the composers from the recent Halo Infinite, which also featured some splendid tunes.

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2) Spartans galore

Fire team Osiris is another Spartan squad featured in the 5th game of the series (Image via 343 Industries)

Going into Season 2, it is almost necessary to showcase more Spartans. It has already been established that this program was successful and that the training had many candidates.

In the present, aside from Silver Team, no other Spartans can be spotted anywhere on planet Reach.

These could be on missions across different planets or stationed elsewhere but should make appearances moving forward. It would give audiences a sense of how vast the UNSC is and the other tasks are being carried out, aside from the Chief’s story.

Other than new Spartans, more of the Silver Team is also required, now that Riz, Vanek, and Kai are in the same team once more. The story needs to follow them on their own, along with the Chief carrying out missions and doing more than just showing off around Reach.

This leads to the next point.

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3) Gunplay

Master Chief takes on the forces of the Banished (Image via 343 Industries)

One of the best parts of the TV series is the gunplay and overall action. While the CGI was sometimes a bit wonky, it was still great to witness Spartans in action.

Three Mjolnir-clad soldiers running full speed and outpacing a warthog gave a scale of their superhuman nature. Even John’s fight without his armor was a plus because it showcased his ability to break through concrete.

How many ever Covenant weapons fans saw the Spartans use was splendid, and audiences need more of that. As Halo is technically an action-adventure game, balancing the story with a good amount of fighting, preferably involving ranged weapons, is crucial.

If budget issues are a concern, the series may conduct them in close quarters instead of in large open areas.

But gunfights are a must, moving forward as this is where Halo shines best, in video games as in the TV series. More combat with the Covenant, more shields depleting and recharging, and more cool action hero Master Chief moments are needed.

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4) Step into the Halo

Zeta Halo as featured in Halo Infinite (Image via 343 Industries)

As the TV series started before the events of even the earliest game in the main timeline, it was evident that a Halo ring would not feature in it for most episodes. Yet, the show declined to even take the story forward to the Fall of Reach, which may or may not happen in this timeline.

Regardless of how it happens, Chief and Cortana need to head to the Halo in the next season. Whether by themselves or via the Pillar of Autumn is up to the writers, although if the first game’s initial scenes are not recreated in the series, it will disappoint many people.

This point is mainly important because it will come with the introduction of some iconic elements, such as the monitor of the Halo installation, which could be 343 Guilty Spark in this timeline as well. Also, the Flood will have to come into play, giving the series a horror element to deal with.

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5) Please keep the helmet on

Chief takes a breather (Image via 343 Industries)

Last but not least is a humble request from many fans of the video games to Paramount. And that is to let Master Chief keep his helmet on at least 80 to 90% of the time.

It is understood that the Chief has no rule about taking off his helmet and does so at times when it is safe.

However, it was and still is a tradition that users can never actually get to see Chief’s real face. So it was appalling to many when the TV series’ Chief took off his helmet in the first episode, although it is understood why he needed to have a face for the silver screen.

However, it is not understood why it was written such that he was without his helmet and armor at most times. Season 2 should have the Chief, along with his team, be suited up in many instances, donning his helmet even while not in a firefight.

Acting through a mask is not an immersion-breaking trope and has been done successfully in the past through good camera work and sound design. Just look at the Mandalorian for inspiration.

Note: This article is subjective and reflects the author’s opinion.