- last post: 01.01.0001 12:00 AM PDT
Posted by: SaMMus38
Sorry for not being concise, but here is what really happened and some plausible speculation backed up by the knowledge we have of our galaxy and the rest of our local group.
The Ark is 2 to the 18th light years from the Galactic Center, which would put it over 200,000 light years from the galactic center of the Milky Way. This is why our galaxy is completely visible in the sky while on the Ark. At the end of the game, we know that the portal collapsed while the Chief’s ship was passing through it, which cleaved it in two. The Arbiter was in the half that made it through, while the Chief and Cortana were left behind. Because Installation 04 was not complete when it fired, its effectiveness was severely limited. This is why the Halo Effect did not kill the Chief (plus he is not your everyday sentient life form). It only knocked him unconscious. Installation 04 shook itself to pieces while firing and apparently did significant damage to the Ark according to Cortana’s analysis. One thing that is interesting to note is that in both the Legendary ending and the credits ending, the same nebulae can be seen. This is puzzling considering how far away the Ark is from our galaxy. From the in-game view we get of the Milky Way, it is clear that the Ark is located either above or below the Galactic Axis. If it were on the axis, all we would see is a bright line with a bright bulge in the center. However, the spiral arms of the Milky Way are clearly visible. Now both the Small Magellanic Cloud and Large Magellanic Cloud (Satellite Galaxies of the Milky Way) are located around 200,000 light years from the Galactic Center of the Milky Way and both are below the Galactic axis. After seeing pictures, I am convinced that the nebulae that we see in the Legendary Ending is the Small Magellanic Cloud. The cutscene shows a blue gas cloud with several luminous blue stars. Pictures of the SMC also have these characteristic blue gas clouds with young blue stars. If the Forerunners were looking to escape the Milky Way, it would make sense that they would go to the nearest galaxy (so that they could watch the story of the Reclaimers unfold from a safe distance). This becomes even more plausible due to the nature of the stars in the SMC. There are several blue stars, which are the hottest and most energetic. An advanced civilization such as theirs would certainly need these vast energies to meet their needs.
Now shifting gears…
In his final message to Master Chief in Terminal 7, Mendicant Bias says that he ‘would have his masters know that he has changed’, and that the Chief shall be his example to them. First and foremost, this acknowledges that there are still Forerunners alive. Secondly, it seems to suggest that MB wants to send Chief to the Forerunners somehow to show them he has changed.
To me, this seems to be the reason why the portal collapsed on MC and Cortana. MB knew that if they made it through the portal, it would take many many years of technological advancement before the humans could reach the Ark without the use of a key ship. Mendicant Bias therefore closed the portal on Chief and Cortana (we already know from the terminals that he was tampering with the portal control system before), which left them floating in the intergalactic space near the Ark and the SMC. It seems likely that MB knew the gravitational pull of the stars within the SMC and the ‘Legendary Planet’ would eventually draw in the ship that the Chief and Cortana were stranded aboard. This would fulfill MB’s desire in the seventh terminal (if the planet we see in the Legendary ending is in fact inhabited by Forerunners). It is also possible that the planet we see is a planet sized mobile city (not to dissimilar from High Charity). If that were the case then the Legendary Ending would not have to take place too long after the end of Halo 3. If the Forerunners came to them a short time after their ship was left derelict and floating, then many key characters would remain alive for the next story to unfold, but who really knows what Bungie has in store next? I just know that they wouldn't set up for a remake of a game they have already done. They are too creative for that.
wow that got me thinking some things from my earlier post are possible.