Even the Precursors cannot justify their own existence. They did not create themselves, nor did they create the universe. They rely on the universe for their existence.
The Primordial says the domain existed in a time before there were stars which would make the domain the oldest thing to exist and perhaps involved with the big bang itself.
My personal head canon is that their are certain aspects of The Mantle that the precursors are withholding from lower species. All the available lore describes them as beings that have apparently experienced all achievable phases of biological, technological and societal evolution so many times over that their own incorporeal existence in the subatomic 4th dimensional fabric of the physical universe they currently inhabit is a bit too boring and predictable. So to remedy this they essentially 'farm' sapient life on the plane of existence just below them to gain fresh memories and experiences while appointing a sapient species or mantle holder to herd the flock sorta like a shepard dog until the precursors decide to reset things by sending in the flood to wipe out their 'creations' to begin the cycle anew and reap the bounties of their latest harvest.
If this was what the truth I'd like to say that the flood arent nearly as lethal as the precursors are. If they truly wanted to I doubt that they couldn't just wipe entire planets out with a flick of their finger.
Its so hard to believe that this is fiction sometimes, it's so detailed and itd be amazing and mindblowing to know this much about space and the beings from other galaxies, creatures that have adapted to the endless bounds with knowledge and technology as expansive as the cosmos themselves.
Part of me wishes this was reality despite how terrifying it can be. But for all we know our universe may be just as eventful. After all modern humanity exists as the same in the Halo universe.
would be Better if it was the [Sky] vs the *[queen of [Final Shapes]]* War Lore, the War over the main [Flower Game(s)] (the small Halo [Grape] or [Grapes] included as well), etc Lore instead. well the [Sky] would be Saddened and Hating this looped cycle (if that theory is true from what this video's end was saying) of this Halo's living time then probably and would be going for the higher philosophy of the [Light]'s instead. but the *[Formless One]* would be Sinisterly 'enjoying' such an existence as this living time and how It is managing the verse of Halo's. Disturbingly amplifying the Violence within the Halo [Grape] towards more closely in tune in *[IT'S] Twisted* future of continuing a cycling existence.
Considering how Halo Infinite is setting up The Endless to be a larger threat than the Flood, which by all accounts come from the Precursors, and this series of games is called The Reclaimer Saga, what are the odds that a Precursor will appear to see the final test of who is truly worth of The Mantle since history recounts that not all the Precursors are dead when the Forerunners went to war against them? For that matter, what if 117 through all his trials is becoming what the Precursors wanted to see? We know that the Librarian did something to the humans in order to have a kind of defense against the Didact's Composer which is what spared 117 and Avery Johnson was made immune to the Flood infection because of his SPARTAN-I augmentations even though it was never intended. These factors can be shown that the Master Chief is either being turned into a Precursor or the true successor.
Actually, evidence suggests that the Endless themselves want the Mantle of Responsiblity. In the Harbinger's very first scene, she says "The Endless will be found. They will Ascend." 'Ascend' has ONLY ever been used in 343 Halo games in reference to claiming the Mantle of Responsibility. Its mentioned twice in Halo 4, once in Halo 5, and once in Halo Infinite.
Probably one of the most intriguing, interesting and fascinating parts of the Halo lore. Makes you ask yourself questions, mindblowning questions, and i like it.
The Precursors had technology that was simply beyond any of hope of understanding by the Forerunners, and could even alter reality with their thoughts. The Forerunners hunted and nearly drove the Precursors into extinction. I've yet to hear anything that even comes close to rectifying the above 2 statements. And that is a huge problem.
The precursors were feeding the universe with stories, filling up the near endless time and space with something to experience. They didn't care whether it was pleasure or pain- they just wanted something to happen. The Precursors created the Forerunners and allowed the Forerunners to destroy them because it was interesting. Then they returned as the Flood to wipe the slate clean because that was interesting, too.
I love these kinds of vidoes, where you sit and think, not just about Halo but our own universe itself. Thanks for an amazing video full of thought and passion 00.
@@Installation00 Ya know, I know it's not a good excuse, but the only reason I haven't yet is because I'm worried I don't have enough time to engage there. But screw it, life is short, I'll hop over shortly.
Not gonna lie, but the stories of the Librarian and the primordial seem the be the closest match. I'd say that the story found on the Ark is the forerunner retelling to absolve their guilt, while that of the Liberian and Primordial are the trustworthy sources.
Good thought. After deliberating some evidence, it could be suggested that the dialogue found on the Ark is actually that of Mendicant Bias. The context of some dialogue also opens up the theory that Mendicant is seeking reconciliation and is currently observing the unfolding events between H1-H3. It would be sweet if 343 introduced either Mendicant, Offensive Bias, and a Precursor to Infinites sequel. But at the same time, there’s also a point where John-117 is still only human, an ageing human at that, and it becomes super unrealistic to think he can’t continue being the main protagonist and literally getting beat up for much longer.
Agreed. The first two stories seem almost exactly identical. Also, if the story from the Ark is from pre-Halo 4, then it would be completely different from the Librarian and the primordial because the Librarian/Primordial and post Halo 4. Different company, different writers, different lore.
I might be slow but watching the end of infinits current story line.. has anyone commented on the fact that there are 7 rings and each one looks almost like it could reference a halo.. right down to the damage done to them? The furthest ring is shattered all but one spot.. which we know from nightfall is about the size of the piece that remains of Alpha Halo, while one has a chunk missing from it.. much like Zeta.. the others are full.. coincidence? Or time.. playing tricks
@@chibipotate The Halos are shrines to Infinity, or expressions of it, if you like. The fact that the halo’s weapon transcends time further accentuates this, I think. The broken halo ring to me implies a finitude; the halo rings, though able to access that infinite power, are still objects in the universe, deriving their own existence from beyond themselves. The halo’s may be the ultimate expression of consciousness, since it is basically accessing infinite power (wisdom) and the use of that on the finite universe as an act of creation (power). Such as it is, power and wisdom (or knowledge what have you) become indistinguishable because the absolute act of consciousness necessarily possesses this.
It's funny how you describe the fact that how the universe will repeat itself almost reminds me of how the gravemind describing himself and the flood the fact that they exist like a tide of water they will always regress but always come back no matter what happens to them
this is why I think the endless are a red herring I feel like the flood is returning like the grave mind said they always come back and it seems to be at points of chaos like what's coming
Boy wouldn’t it be ironic if the chief turned out to be EXACTLY LIKE THE DIDACT and the weapon/Cortana EXACTLY LIKE THE LIBRARIAN. Awesome vid the future Fri the franchise is bright
Sounds more like a cosmic horror story by entities who are enjoying an endless cycle of meaningless existence they created. Edit: RINGRAD that is only your opinion not a fact. But I am not talking about real life I am referring to this game's internal universe.
Very good video. Scary thought that we/Humanity and the rest of the races in the galaxy in the Halo universe don't truly know a damn thing about the forces we're playing around with or are just outright unaware of. . .
All three have their ambiguities and subtle incompletenesses. One example is the recondite description of how the forerunners suddenly discovered they fell short of the probity which accompanies forfending the “mantle of responsibility.” Surely the precursors would never betray their plans to supersede the forerunners with humanity in conferring the MOR on humans? Let me be clear “history is written by the victors” and while the stories are relatively straightforward, yet they do not square. There is an element of mystery and uncertainty that engulfs all 3 accounts. By and large these 3 excerpts leave the Halo fans mired in ambivalence and “wanting” more rich lore to be expatiated by I-00 yo!
I liked this recounting of Halo history even if the whole thing becomes a little too esoteric for my tastes. I'm here for the military science fiction!
Well, any ancient tale inevitably becomes more mythological with milennia of retellings and failed memories. The conflict between the Forerunners, Humans, Precursors and Flood would have had a lot of military sci-fi moments; entire grounded campaigns could easily fit within it. But since we'll likely never visit these times directly, they'll always seem more like myths and legends than accounts of real conflicts.
The truth is history matters especially during conflict. The only difference here is that truth is that the living universe will destroy everything over and over for eternity until the mantle is held by the endless.
Food for thought what if, there is a full precursor that preserved itself of being killed in the halo firing array and what if that last remaining lowkey Precursor(not the Primordial) was the one to teach the Endless how to control time to save themselves from firing Halo array… I know my theory might be little complicated but just something that has been circling in my mind.
I'm really really hoping this stuff doesn't get relegated to a book because this is literally about prophecies told hundreds of thousands of years ago, redemption, reclamation, and humanity's fate. The return of not only the Forerunners, but the Precursors too. What a waste it would be to not put it at the forefront of the series.
Honestly, it's all a bit esoteric and impenetrable, and not very well-suited for the primary storyline of a videogame that's fundamentally about shooting aliens with guns.
@@Iknowtoomuchable they haven't ever tried to do it in a slow, gradual way so I don't really see how it could be an issue. They can always come up with things to shoot.
As detailed by the librerian at the end of the afformentioned book, she along with a few other Forerunners basically manipulated the precursor flowers (who would basically eventually grow into actual precursors), manipulated so as to strip them of what would likely be over a billion years of evolution, not unlike how the Forerunners de-evolved ancient humanity as a depraved act of vengeance and a power-move.
In that last scenario, cycles, factions playing out the same actions or and over, power changing hands... I wonder if the San'Shium ever had a bash at it.
Wait, aren't all three of these stories from a Forerunner's perspective? The unsc ai got it from a foreruner installation, the primordial's account comes from a Forerunner's memories, and the first account from the librarian, also comes from a forerunner source.
You remain as the top level Halo canon archivist out there. In this troubling times where all we face is anger and hate, to see you continue to push the lore ahead with marvelous theories and remain away from the 343 haters capitalizing on the anger towards the studio, says great things about you. We need more prophets like you. And a lot less haters like the rest of the TH-camrs. Thank you.
maybe the primordial was just a rouge precursor who speaks on behalf of his own personal agenda/ creation of the flood, rather than a direct connection between the flood & all precursors? i still feel that the primordial is not be trusted as an honest/truthful account due to bias/manipulation tactics. i just love the whole mystery of all of this, easily my favorite part of the halo universe
That also has a very significant implication: seeing as though it was the Primordial who claimed there was no cure for the Flood, what if there does exist a cure but involving contact with a surviving untainted Precursor who could reverse what the Flood do?
Even though I have some differing opinions of the Precursors in your past videos on them I have really enjoyed your lore on these a lot. You're very talented at this. So I came to a theory, although It's not complete as I haven't read the Forerunner Saga myself but watched a LOT of lore videos on it. This theory has led me to believe that the Precursors were a very nuanced, probably more so than the Primordial, who I believe turned to darkness and against the wishes of many of his own kind. To support this I believe that the dark secret that he told the humans that committed suicide, may well be in fact not entirely true, but maybe what he, or some Precursors wanted, while others wanted to preserve life, some others may well have wanted to 'harvest' it. I see this as a likely possibility, with newer lore giving me more inclination to these thoughts being the case. I also agree that time does move in cycles, although it's a common story mechanic in sci fi, as Mass Effect and other large sci fi has done that. I also believe the Xelanyn, or Endless, were not Precursors, but also were powerful masters of Time, although they could be another descendent of the Precursors. A sister species to Humans, if you will. The genocidal attack on the Precursors you described here really gives me some thoughts, I wonder if part of it was inspired by the persecution and Holocaust of Jewish people. Maybe a sci fi allegory to evils of that nature?
I question how they stayed unknown to the Forerunners the Endless. The Harbinger has knowledge of the human forerunner war. So they were around for a while. I don't fully trust the Harbinger either we know the fate of characters with truth in their names they are liars. Not sure if you know Rebirth Silentiums epilogue but Bornstellar tells Riser as he puts the humans back on earth forerunners had caused enough problems I don't see him agreeing to imprison the Endless unless they were truly a threat to a newborn galaxy.
'Truths hidden and buried so deep within the folds of living time that they can barely be separated from the background noise of the big bang ' a pretty interesting quote Creator and creation endlessly warring each other scarring the echoes of time like a river carving a canyon...
If the Precursors still existed they would say to the For Runners might does not make right, to extinguish life in the universe is not there right 😳 regardless of the danger
@Eck The Precursors didn’t all get killed and didn't all become dust. Some of them had already left the Galaxy others went into suspended animation and some became the powder that became the Flood. Possibly by choice to teach the Forerunners a lesson before making them kill themselves.
What if the forerunner learned of this cycle of death and rebirth and life and suffering that the precursors were propagating, and as the being the holders of the mantle of responsibility, killed the precursors in order to STOP the cycle? Because if the mantle of responsibility is to protect, then eventually having everything die would go against that, so the forerunners took offense to this because the mantle says so
You tread on dangerous ground my friend. We ultimately know little of what the Precursors were like, what they wanted and what they did. Only what the Forerunners wrote in their histories after their war against them.
The precursors, seeing everything as sweetness, both positive and negative things, represent such a grateful attitude to life, a phylosophy that appreciates reality as it is.
I just had a thought: considering the Precursors turned themselves into powder and they somehow became corrupted into the Flood, what if some powder was successfully reconstituted and they changed themselves into the Xalanyn?
Was the Flood a vengeance visited by the Precursors upon the Forerunners or was it another test for worthiness of the Mantle? A test that the Forerunners failed, yet again, and Humans have passed twice?
I've always wondered with the precursors, did they "create" life or simply speed up evolution so to speak? If they created it they would have to have been in the milky way galaxy for billions of years (the first bacteria on earth for example), and as far as I know they have only been in the galaxy for what 100 million years? It makes much more sense to me if they simply hyper-evolved species from around the galaxy, taking primative species, and giving them the brain capacity to become space faring? Idk just headcannon to be honest.
i mean halo as a franchise ain't gonna last forever and one day or another all of these would have to be answered i don't see that happening in a decade or two but it will happen one day nevrthless
As a studied historian, i can say that yes, history is never told objectively. For us as humans, as subjective beings, its at least in my mind just impossible to do so, because our own experiences, opinions and emotions "cloud" our judgement. But this is not necessarily a bad thing, eben though we might subconssiously alter facts or events because we remember them this way or we forget details, not even out of malice, but just because we dont know or judge them as more or less important. This is why in history, every perspective we get, is one that enriches the narrative. Since everyone, be he or she layman or expert, has another perspective and experiences when looking at the same topic, he or she may add another part to the knowledge we have. Be it big or be it just a small little detail, it does not matter. History, as the universe here in the Halo Universe is as living and breathing as any other form of expression.
When you rise against the greatest liars and fail, their propaganda against you is immeasurable. May thy spirit rise from the grave, so the world will see that you are right.
The librarian’s view of the precursors and living time is essentially the philosophy of Jordan’s ‘Wheel of Time’. The eternal recurring universe theory. I find that philosophy… lacking on a number of key areas, but it can make for some interesting world building as long as you avoid the long term logical conclusions. Otherwise you break the action-consequence process of storytelling. It’s similar in effect to the use an infinite multiverse in story. Every action gets a do over and causal interactions lose their meaning/significance. The more you lean into the philosophy, the less your story matters to your readers (cough cough, Marvel).
So if you evaluate all of these stories, technically they're all the same and it's more about perspective taking. Particularly with the 3rd story about the human race discovering the Primordial. If we look to Halo Legends this makes sense and explains why humanity and the Forerunners fought, which has never been deeply explored before.
@voicesinmyskull but who taught them how to do it and why it needs to be done? For all we know the Human-Forerunner War was orchestrated by the Primordial as an act of revenge, teaching humanity just enough on how to stop the Flood but with the added (and possibly unnecessary) step of invading Forerunner worlds. Just as the Precursor-Forerunner War was orchestrated because the Forerunners found out that they wouldn't get the Mantle of Responsibility, or how the Human-Covenant War was orchestrated by the Prophets to hide the fact that humanity and not the Covenant were the real Reclaimers.
What I never got was why, at some point in successfully destroying the precursors, didn't the 4runners think "Hey, if we can wipe these creatures out, why do we even give a shit about a title they didn't give us?"
Sooooooo “when they are ripe, and bring them unity” it’s been apart of the plan the whole time for whomever is worthy of the mantle to allow thyself to be “United” with the flood - bring them unity, to reject the flood is to reject life and living time. OOOOR it can be interpreted as being humanity (and ig their alliances) unity.
My understanding is that all the factions (humans, cortana, forerunner, old covenamt aliens) are divided, and the flood will return and the humans will have to unite the galaxy against the flood thus earning the mantle. Is that the jist of the remaining story? Or is cortana and the floods part already finished?
What If the reason the Halo rings don't work on the Endless is because the Endless actually created the Halo rings which is why the Harbinger also has the Reclaimer symbol on her helmet.
My theory is that the forerunners did go to battle with the precursors in The Magellanic Cloud and was decimated by the precursors. They returned home to the milky way and lied of their win and the fate if the precursors. The precursors themselves releasing the flood was their was of wiping out the forerunners by making them kill themselves off with the array.
Even the Precursors cannot justify their own existence. They did not create themselves, nor did they create the universe. They rely on the universe for their existence.
The Primordial says the domain existed in a time before there were stars which would make the domain the oldest thing to exist and perhaps involved with the big bang itself.
The universe is 13.7 billion years old. If the Gravemind's claim is true, then the Precursors are over 100 billion years old.
@@Bastion70 It is for this reason that I'm starting to wonder if souls exist in Halo, including an afterlife.
@@sirpepeofhousekek6741 they do
@@yehiahuzayyin7972 I hope they do for one reason I want there to be some kind of a good ending for anyone who dies horribly
My personal head canon is that their are certain aspects of The Mantle that the precursors are withholding from lower species. All the available lore describes them as beings that have apparently experienced all achievable phases of biological, technological and societal evolution so many times over that their own incorporeal existence in the subatomic 4th dimensional fabric of the physical universe they currently inhabit is a bit too boring and predictable. So to remedy this they essentially 'farm' sapient life on the plane of existence just below them to gain fresh memories and experiences while appointing a sapient species or mantle holder to herd the flock sorta like a shepard dog until the precursors decide to reset things by sending in the flood to wipe out their 'creations' to begin the cycle anew and reap the bounties of their latest harvest.
Cmmon man those are the reapers hahaha
If this was what the truth I'd like to say that the flood arent nearly as lethal as the precursors are. If they truly wanted to I doubt that they couldn't just wipe entire planets out with a flick of their finger.
@musicheaven1679 they could but they wouldn't absorb the sweetness
@@mr.voidroy6869
Got to absorb that sweetness...
I'm getting a little bit of a mass effect vibe here lol
Was super happy to work on this with y’a 00!
Its so hard to believe that this is fiction sometimes, it's so detailed and itd be amazing and mindblowing to know this much about space and the beings from other galaxies, creatures that have adapted to the endless bounds with knowledge and technology as expansive as the cosmos themselves.
Part of me wishes this was reality despite how terrifying it can be. But for all we know our universe may be just as eventful. After all modern humanity exists as the same in the Halo universe.
if you think this is detailed you need to look into warhammer 40k, if you have a weekend to kill lol
@@Pufferfish1805a Weekend? 40k is like a solid summer 😆
@@bw5020 man summer and a little bit of fall too lol
@@YEETUSDAFEETUSmore like every summer and fall for the next 5 years.
The philosophy and complexity of the precursors is so fun to become immersed in. Thank you!
would be Better if it was the [Sky] vs the *[queen of [Final Shapes]]* War Lore, the War over the main [Flower Game(s)] (the small Halo [Grape] or [Grapes] included as well), etc Lore instead.
well the [Sky] would be Saddened and Hating this looped cycle (if that theory is true from what this video's end was saying) of this Halo's living time then probably and would be going for the higher philosophy of the [Light]'s instead.
but the *[Formless One]* would be Sinisterly 'enjoying' such an existence as this living time and how It is managing the verse of Halo's. Disturbingly amplifying the Violence within the Halo [Grape] towards more closely in tune in *[IT'S] Twisted* future of continuing a cycling existence.
Considering how Halo Infinite is setting up The Endless to be a larger threat than the Flood, which by all accounts come from the Precursors, and this series of games is called The Reclaimer Saga, what are the odds that a Precursor will appear to see the final test of who is truly worth of The Mantle since history recounts that not all the Precursors are dead when the Forerunners went to war against them? For that matter, what if 117 through all his trials is becoming what the Precursors wanted to see? We know that the Librarian did something to the humans in order to have a kind of defense against the Didact's Composer which is what spared 117 and Avery Johnson was made immune to the Flood infection because of his SPARTAN-I augmentations even though it was never intended. These factors can be shown that the Master Chief is either being turned into a Precursor or the true successor.
Actually, evidence suggests that the Endless themselves want the Mantle of Responsiblity. In the Harbinger's very first scene, she says "The Endless will be found. They will Ascend." 'Ascend' has ONLY ever been used in 343 Halo games in reference to claiming the Mantle of Responsibility. Its mentioned twice in Halo 4, once in Halo 5, and once in Halo Infinite.
We've got some really interesting theories here. Definitely worth exploring in great depth.
Actually reclaimer saga ended with h5
Had the reclaimer saga gone past h5, I think we would have seen a precursor
@@Halofan-ey3ul Yep
Probably one of the most intriguing, interesting and fascinating parts of the Halo lore. Makes you ask yourself questions, mindblowning questions, and i like it.
Always love to see content on the Precursors.
Even if most of our knowledge on them is speculation. - A message from His Imperial and Royal Majesty, Kaiser Wilhelm der Große.
Who is this Fool ?
The Precursors had technology that was simply beyond any of hope of understanding by the Forerunners, and could even alter reality with their thoughts.
The Forerunners hunted and nearly drove the Precursors into extinction.
I've yet to hear anything that even comes close to rectifying the above 2 statements. And that is a huge problem.
Technology alone is insufficient, as the Human-Covenant War demonstrated. It can be overcome by guile, numbers and ruthlessness.
Didn't the precursors just accept their genocide as a flavour?
ie, not really resisting it
they didn't resist that's why the forerunners won
The Precursors wanted to experience being the victims of a genocide.
The precursors were feeding the universe with stories, filling up the near endless time and space with something to experience. They didn't care whether it was pleasure or pain- they just wanted something to happen. The Precursors created the Forerunners and allowed the Forerunners to destroy them because it was interesting. Then they returned as the Flood to wipe the slate clean because that was interesting, too.
The Precursors never truly died. They just evolved. Evolved into the Flood.
They are the flood.
Or the Flood was their true form; from before the came to the Milkyway
I love these kinds of vidoes, where you sit and think, not just about Halo but our own universe itself. Thanks for an amazing video full of thought and passion 00.
Same. Just headcanon, but makes me think so much deeper about the story of Halo and how it relates to the real world
Hope you're subbed to the 00 Lounge then!
@@Installation00 Ya know, I know it's not a good excuse, but the only reason I haven't yet is because I'm worried I don't have enough time to engage there. But screw it, life is short, I'll hop over shortly.
Not gonna lie, but the stories of the Librarian and the primordial seem the be the closest match. I'd say that the story found on the Ark is the forerunner retelling to absolve their guilt, while that of the Liberian and Primordial are the trustworthy sources.
Good thought. After deliberating some evidence, it could be suggested that the dialogue found on the Ark is actually that of Mendicant Bias. The context of some dialogue also opens up the theory that Mendicant is seeking reconciliation and is currently observing the unfolding events between H1-H3.
It would be sweet if 343 introduced either Mendicant, Offensive Bias, and a Precursor to Infinites sequel. But at the same time, there’s also a point where John-117 is still only human, an ageing human at that, and it becomes super unrealistic to think he can’t continue being the main protagonist and literally getting beat up for much longer.
@@Pelicanbrah offensive will 100000 be there
@@Pelicanbrah the Liberian did upgrade John on requiem so he could hold it down a little longer
Agreed. The first two stories seem almost exactly identical. Also, if the story from the Ark is from pre-Halo 4, then it would be completely different from the Librarian and the primordial because the Librarian/Primordial and post Halo 4. Different company, different writers, different lore.
I LOVE these precursor videos, there are just too few and i saw them all already
I might be slow but watching the end of infinits current story line.. has anyone commented on the fact that there are 7 rings and each one looks almost like it could reference a halo.. right down to the damage done to them? The furthest ring is shattered all but one spot.. which we know from nightfall is about the size of the piece that remains of Alpha Halo, while one has a chunk missing from it.. much like Zeta.. the others are full.. coincidence? Or time.. playing tricks
I noticed that as well
Anyone got a translator for this one? might be a bit too big brained for me
@@chibipotate the stone rings on Zeta Halo may represent or mirror what happened to the 7 Installations
I think the writers of Halo’s prehistory were probably not atheists.
@@chibipotate The Halos are shrines to Infinity, or expressions of it, if you like. The fact that the halo’s weapon transcends time further accentuates this, I think. The broken halo ring to me implies a finitude; the halo rings, though able to access that infinite power, are still objects in the universe, deriving their own existence from beyond themselves. The halo’s may be the ultimate expression of consciousness, since it is basically accessing infinite power (wisdom) and the use of that on the finite universe as an act of creation (power). Such as it is, power and wisdom (or knowledge what have you) become indistinguishable because the absolute act of consciousness necessarily possesses this.
It's funny how you describe the fact that how the universe will repeat itself almost reminds me of how the gravemind describing himself and the flood the fact that they exist like a tide of water they will always regress but always come back no matter what happens to them
Interesting asf
this is why I think the endless are a red herring I feel like the flood is returning like the grave mind said they always come back and it seems to be at points of chaos like what's coming
"All this has happened before, All this will happen again."
Never clicked on a vid so fast. Your precursor stuff is my favorite content on the internet.
Seriously. 343 need to approach this guy and give him a damn job in the writing department.
You sir, are an excellent narrator
Boy wouldn’t it be ironic if the chief turned out to be EXACTLY LIKE THE DIDACT and the weapon/Cortana EXACTLY LIKE THE LIBRARIAN. Awesome vid the future Fri the franchise is bright
Sounds more like a cosmic horror story by entities who are enjoying an endless cycle of meaningless existence they created.
Edit: RINGRAD that is only your opinion not a fact. But I am not talking about real life I am referring to this game's internal universe.
Agreed
Well... Existence is meaningless, the only meanings that you have is that you yourself or your biology put in front of you.
Absolute lad edited the comment instead of replying to someone just to show them who’s boss
@@JamesShedinn
I think he just didn't want me to reply, so i won't.
Very good video. Scary thought that we/Humanity and the rest of the races in the galaxy in the Halo universe don't truly know a damn thing about the forces we're playing around with or are just outright unaware of. . .
All three have their ambiguities and subtle incompletenesses. One example is the recondite description of how the forerunners suddenly discovered they fell short of the probity which accompanies forfending the “mantle of responsibility.” Surely the precursors would never betray their plans to supersede the forerunners with humanity in conferring the MOR on humans? Let me be clear “history is written by the victors” and while the stories are relatively straightforward, yet they do not square. There is an element of mystery and uncertainty that engulfs all 3 accounts. By and large these 3 excerpts leave the Halo fans mired in ambivalence and “wanting” more rich lore to be expatiated by I-00 yo!
I liked this recounting of Halo history even if the whole thing becomes a little too esoteric for my tastes. I'm here for the military science fiction!
Well, any ancient tale inevitably becomes more mythological with milennia of retellings and failed memories. The conflict between the Forerunners, Humans, Precursors and Flood would have had a lot of military sci-fi moments; entire grounded campaigns could easily fit within it. But since we'll likely never visit these times directly, they'll always seem more like myths and legends than accounts of real conflicts.
The truth is history matters especially during conflict. The only difference here is that truth is that the living universe will destroy everything over and over for eternity until the mantle is held by the endless.
@@UnknownName5050 Seems like a leap given how little we know about the Endless.
Honestly, I would love a video game appearance of a precursor.
This is the kind of content I want to mainline into my veins.
Food for thought what if, there is a full precursor that preserved itself of being killed in the halo firing array and what if that last remaining lowkey Precursor(not the Primordial) was the one to teach the Endless how to control time to save themselves from firing Halo array… I know my theory might be little complicated but just something that has been circling in my mind.
I'm really really hoping this stuff doesn't get relegated to a book because this is literally about prophecies told hundreds of thousands of years ago, redemption, reclamation, and humanity's fate. The return of not only the Forerunners, but the Precursors too. What a waste it would be to not put it at the forefront of the series.
They will probably dumb it down for American audiences, ie. relegate it entirely to books.
Honestly, it's all a bit esoteric and impenetrable, and not very well-suited for the primary storyline of a videogame that's fundamentally about shooting aliens with guns.
@@Iknowtoomuchable they haven't ever tried to do it in a slow, gradual way so I don't really see how it could be an issue. They can always come up with things to shoot.
Always glued to anything regarding ancient humanity and precursors! Thank you!
Instillation 00: there are 3 conflicting stores but which one is true
KFC ad that popped up: KFC CHICKEN IS ONLY SERVED ONE WAY!
As detailed by the librerian at the end of the afformentioned book, she along with a few other Forerunners basically manipulated the precursor flowers (who would basically eventually grow into actual precursors), manipulated so as to strip them of what would likely be over a billion years of evolution, not unlike how the Forerunners de-evolved ancient humanity as a depraved act of vengeance and a power-move.
The universe is the soil, life is the crop, precursors the gardeners and the flood the sickle
In that last scenario, cycles, factions playing out the same actions or and over, power changing hands... I wonder if the San'Shium ever had a bash at it.
Wait, aren't all three of these stories from a Forerunner's perspective?
The unsc ai got it from a foreruner installation, the primordial's account comes from a Forerunner's memories, and the first account from the librarian, also comes from a forerunner source.
love to see this revisited
You remain as the top level Halo canon archivist out there.
In this troubling times where all we face is anger and hate, to see you continue to push the lore ahead with marvelous theories and remain away from the 343 haters capitalizing on the anger towards the studio, says great things about you.
We need more prophets like you.
And a lot less haters like the rest of the TH-camrs.
Thank you.
maybe the primordial was just a rouge precursor who speaks on behalf of his own personal agenda/ creation of the flood, rather than a direct connection between the flood & all precursors? i still feel that the primordial is not be trusted as an honest/truthful account due to bias/manipulation tactics. i just love the whole mystery of all of this, easily my favorite part of the halo universe
That also has a very significant implication: seeing as though it was the Primordial who claimed there was no cure for the Flood, what if there does exist a cure but involving contact with a surviving untainted Precursor who could reverse what the Flood do?
Even though I have some differing opinions of the Precursors in your past videos on them I have really enjoyed your lore on these a lot. You're very talented at this.
So I came to a theory, although It's not complete as I haven't read the Forerunner Saga myself but watched a LOT of lore videos on it. This theory has led me to believe that the Precursors were a very nuanced, probably more so than the Primordial, who I believe turned to darkness and against the wishes of many of his own kind. To support this I believe that the dark secret that he told the humans that committed suicide, may well be in fact not entirely true, but maybe what he, or some Precursors wanted, while others wanted to preserve life, some others may well have wanted to 'harvest' it.
I see this as a likely possibility, with newer lore giving me more inclination to these thoughts being the case. I also agree that time does move in cycles, although it's a common story mechanic in sci fi, as Mass Effect and other large sci fi has done that. I also believe the Xelanyn, or Endless, were not Precursors, but also were powerful masters of Time, although they could be another descendent of the Precursors. A sister species to Humans, if you will.
The genocidal attack on the Precursors you described here really gives me some thoughts, I wonder if part of it was inspired by the persecution and Holocaust of Jewish people. Maybe a sci fi allegory to evils of that nature?
I question how they stayed unknown to the Forerunners the Endless. The Harbinger has knowledge of the human forerunner war. So they were around for a while. I don't fully trust the Harbinger either we know the fate of characters with truth in their names they are liars. Not sure if you know Rebirth Silentiums epilogue but Bornstellar tells Riser as he puts the humans back on earth forerunners had caused enough problems I don't see him agreeing to imprison the Endless unless they were truly a threat to a newborn galaxy.
Agree
I’ve been looking forward to this.
This sat in my watch later for almost 2 years lmao glad I finally finished it
'Truths hidden and buried so deep within the folds of living time that they can barely be separated from the background noise of the big bang ' a pretty interesting quote
Creator and creation endlessly warring each other scarring the echoes of time like a river carving a canyon...
If the Precursors still existed they would say to the For Runners might does not make right, to extinguish life in the universe is not there right 😳 regardless of the danger
@Eck The Precursors didn’t all get killed and didn't all become dust. Some of them had already left the Galaxy others went into suspended animation and some became the powder that became the Flood. Possibly by choice to teach the Forerunners a lesson before making them kill themselves.
What if the forerunner learned of this cycle of death and rebirth and life and suffering that the precursors were propagating, and as the being the holders of the mantle of responsibility, killed the precursors in order to STOP the cycle? Because if the mantle of responsibility is to protect, then eventually having everything die would go against that, so the forerunners took offense to this because the mantle says so
This is perfect timing since I’m re listening to the Forerunner saga audiobooks.
You tread on dangerous ground my friend. We ultimately know little of what the Precursors were like, what they wanted and what they did. Only what the Forerunners wrote in their histories after their war against them.
I won’t hold my breathe, this story could go either way but you give me a little hope
The precursors, seeing everything as sweetness, both positive and negative things, represent such a grateful attitude to life, a phylosophy that appreciates reality as it is.
Beautiful as always! And can we just agree how awesome the new music is to fit in the background?
So the covenant were like the forerunners, fighting for the mantle. They didn’t like what they learned. Interesting.
Ah a new video just in time to listen to to start my work day.
I just had a thought: considering the Precursors turned themselves into powder and they somehow became corrupted into the Flood, what if some powder was successfully reconstituted and they changed themselves into the Xalanyn?
I got the grave mind voice and the line "I am a monument..." Is the deepest rawest thing I know to say in any voice.
Was the Flood a vengeance visited by the Precursors upon the Forerunners or was it another test for worthiness of the Mantle? A test that the Forerunners failed, yet again, and Humans have passed twice?
The first casualty of War is the truth!!!
I've always wondered with the precursors, did they "create" life or simply speed up evolution so to speak? If they created it they would have to have been in the milky way galaxy for billions of years (the first bacteria on earth for example), and as far as I know they have only been in the galaxy for what 100 million years? It makes much more sense to me if they simply hyper-evolved species from around the galaxy, taking primative species, and giving them the brain capacity to become space faring? Idk just headcannon to be honest.
pretty sure he said "they arrived in our galaxy billions of years ago" at some point
@@voicesinmyskull maybe idk
For the sake of our sanity, I kind of hope this is one answer 343i doesn't give us. Leave it to our speculation and interpretation.
i mean halo as a franchise ain't gonna last forever and one day or another all of these would have to be answered i don't see that happening in a decade or two but it will happen one day nevrthless
What. Just because Halo has to end doesn’t mean these questions will be answered.
this universe is so awesome... why the frick did they make a tv show of an alternate timeline???
And doesn't this kinda contradict your theory that the flood are just another form of precursor, intended to fulfill the universe with experiences?
The precursors will return and woe to any who stand in their way
All this has happened before
and all this will happen again
Bro you should be a voiceover narrator
As a studied historian, i can say that yes, history is never told objectively. For us as humans, as subjective beings, its at least in my mind just impossible to do so, because our own experiences, opinions and emotions "cloud" our judgement. But this is not necessarily a bad thing, eben though we might subconssiously alter facts or events because we remember them this way or we forget details, not even out of malice, but just because we dont know or judge them as more or less important.
This is why in history, every perspective we get, is one that enriches the narrative. Since everyone, be he or she layman or expert, has another perspective and experiences when looking at the same topic, he or she may add another part to the knowledge we have. Be it big or be it just a small little detail, it does not matter. History, as the universe here in the Halo Universe is as living and breathing as any other form of expression.
Just imagine if all this was somewhat true. Humanity is far far older than many think.
I love this channel so much ! There is just no words to describe the quality of your righting and narration
Amazing video brother
Thanks. 💯
When you rise against the greatest liars and fail, their propaganda against you is immeasurable. May thy spirit rise from the grave, so the world will see that you are right.
I wonder if Halo is connected canonically to Marathon
Dream of dreams, in sweetness you spark the reality of the living truth.
The librarian’s view of the precursors and living time is essentially the philosophy of Jordan’s ‘Wheel of Time’. The eternal recurring universe theory.
I find that philosophy… lacking on a number of key areas, but it can make for some interesting world building as long as you avoid the long term logical conclusions. Otherwise you break the action-consequence process of storytelling. It’s similar in effect to the use an infinite multiverse in story. Every action gets a do over and causal interactions lose their meaning/significance. The more you lean into the philosophy, the less your story matters to your readers (cough cough, Marvel).
Have you ever heard the tragedy of Darth Primordial the Wise?
Said the didact to Master Chief
It's not something the UNSC would tell you
So if you evaluate all of these stories, technically they're all the same and it's more about perspective taking. Particularly with the 3rd story about the human race discovering the Primordial. If we look to Halo Legends this makes sense and explains why humanity and the Forerunners fought, which has never been deeply explored before.
pretty sure they fought because humanity started moving into and burning forerunner worlds
@@voicesinmyskull correct.
@voicesinmyskull but who taught them how to do it and why it needs to be done? For all we know the Human-Forerunner War was orchestrated by the Primordial as an act of revenge, teaching humanity just enough on how to stop the Flood but with the added (and possibly unnecessary) step of invading Forerunner worlds. Just as the Precursor-Forerunner War was orchestrated because the Forerunners found out that they wouldn't get the Mantle of Responsibility, or how the Human-Covenant War was orchestrated by the Prophets to hide the fact that humanity and not the Covenant were the real Reclaimers.
More of this please
The precursors new they’d be wiped out.
Love the new intro
What was the installation00 video where he discussed something from outside our galaxy coming to give the ultimate and final test of the precursors?
The flood is the test. Thats my theory
What I never got was why, at some point in successfully destroying the precursors, didn't the 4runners think "Hey, if we can wipe these creatures out, why do we even give a shit about a title they didn't give us?"
Legitimacy.
Sooooooo “when they are ripe, and bring them unity” it’s been apart of the plan the whole time for whomever is worthy of the mantle to allow thyself to be “United” with the flood - bring them unity, to reject the flood is to reject life and living time.
OOOOR it can be interpreted as being humanity (and ig their alliances) unity.
It’s like the battlestar galactica time repeats
With all this expanded lore Halo is starting to feel like Warhammer 40K
Bro you can read off a horror story I’ll still feel relaxed
Halo with a golden voice.
Nice work
My understanding is that all the factions (humans, cortana, forerunner, old covenamt aliens) are divided, and the flood will return and the humans will have to unite the galaxy against the flood thus earning the mantle.
Is that the jist of the remaining story? Or is cortana and the floods part already finished?
Precursing the universe change my mind
Petulant gods
If they ere taken by surprise, and that is true, then perhaps the powdered version is the one that is true.
What If the reason the Halo rings don't work on the Endless is because the Endless actually created the Halo rings which is why the Harbinger also has the Reclaimer symbol on her helmet.
That doesn't work, the forerunners built the rings, and had no clue who the endless were
the rings are confirmed forerunner constructs
wow I've removed my left leg with this one simple trick
I have always viewed the precursors version of the story as true, it has no reason to lie, if anything it makes it look bad from our perspective
a deep and penetrating look, it shows how much you love the halo lore Installation 00 :P
Hope the precursor reappear
This is humanity’s test. To survive our rebirth.
My theory is that the forerunners did go to battle with the precursors in The Magellanic Cloud and was decimated by the precursors. They returned home to the milky way and lied of their win and the fate if the precursors.
The precursors themselves releasing the flood was their was of wiping out the forerunners by making them kill themselves off with the array.
And here we go😁
So is the Gravemind a primordial?
Yes it's a corrupt version of them
The Primordial is one specific character, and yes all Graveminds are basically the Pimordial's mind and memories
Sounds like the precursors beat the game and got bored so they started a new save.
Discussion idea:
Reclamation vs reformation.
I still need the last book in the forerunner trilogy (hardbound preferred)