- last post: 01.01.0001 12:00 AM PDT
I've noticed for quite a while now how most people think that the Covenant are more advanced, and therefore smarter. I have always thought of it in a different way. Just because a race is behind, having more primitive technology, doesn't mean they are any less smart. The Covenant's technology seems to have mostly been pirated and stolen from other races like the Forerunner. When all the Covenant species came together, they probably also pooled their own advancements together to create the Covenant. After incorperating another species into their empire, they probably used that species unique advancements as their own. By this method of sharing and stealing they came to be much more technologically advanced then the humans, and might not even fully understand their own technology. Who knows, maybe they had a huge headstart on Humans, developing into a sentient species much before we did.
Anyway, one example of this is how Cortana refined the flagship's weapons in First Strike. The weapons created were much better then the Covenant version, and this could mean that the Covenant don't fully understand their own (maybe even Forerunner) technology. Of course, their might be a simpler reason, like not wanting to meddle with their "god's" (Forerunner) technology. The reason the Covenant won space battles was because of their superior weapons. The precious few victories that the Humans had, were mainly because of tactical brilliance, therefore outsmarting their Covenant opponents. Ground battles were more evenly matched, because of Human strength and skill on ground. Maybe the Covenant also had precious little Forerunner technology that could be applied to ground uses.
I don't exactly know what I am trying to prove or say, and I kind of went on a rant. But, who knows, maybe Humans are in fact smarter then the Covenant, and this may help towards our victory.