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This topic has moved here: Subject: Mendicant Bias, could he still be "evil"?
  • Subject: Mendicant Bias, could he still be "evil"?
Subject: Mendicant Bias, could he still be "evil"?

@accordingto343

Your one stop shop for all of 343's fabulous errors and ridiculous notions in the Halo lore.

I know I may not have much to base this suspicion on, but I still don't quite trust Bias yet. Sure, he acknowledges humanity as Reclaimers and helped teleport Chief through The Ark's slipspace portal and generally helped him on The Ark, but something seems off.

Offensive Bias did separate him into various portions, one was found on The Ark and the other in the Forerunner Keyship on High Charity, for a reason. I don't know, something feels off.

  • 05.30.2011 4:00 PM PDT
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The Seventh Column demands it.

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I'm pretty sure the two other books in Bear's Forerunner trilogy will fill in some gaps, but as it stands, Mendicant Bias atoned for his past sins.

  • 05.30.2011 4:04 PM PDT

By the power of truth, I, while living, have conquered the universe.

Did we ever find out what happened to Offensive Bias? I can imagine an ironic scenario where OB is a villain and MB is good.

Having reached metastability and wishing to atone for his betrayal, I'd say MB is in the clear for being a good guy.

  • 05.30.2011 4:04 PM PDT

An assassin will always carry on, even after death.

Bias may be an AI, but after all aren't all "AI" really just extremely good computer programs.

Yes, Bias can "hear", "see", possibly smell and can "think", but he was created by forerunners, ultimately they decide what Bias does even if he did practically destroy them. Sort of subconsciously he could be thinking of ways to destroy the enemy of the Forerunners, Humanity.

Edit: I may have gotten some things mixed up.

[Edited on 05.30.2011 4:09 PM PDT]

  • 05.30.2011 4:07 PM PDT

@accordingto343

Your one stop shop for all of 343's fabulous errors and ridiculous notions in the Halo lore.

Posted by: ajw34307
Did we ever find out what happened to Offensive Bias? I can imagine an ironic scenario where OB is a villain and MB is good.

Having reached metastability and wishing to atone for his betrayal, I'd say MB is in the clear for being a good guy.

True, for all we know MB has reached metastability while OB has become rampant.

  • 05.30.2011 4:07 PM PDT

On Waypoint I'm rocketFox;
http://halo.xbox.com/forums/members/rocketfox/default.aspx

Old GTs; RebelRobot, Flamedude

MB seems to be trying to repent for his past actions, but he certainly isnt trustworthy yet.

  • 05.30.2011 4:24 PM PDT
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Posted by: flamedude
MB seems to be trying to repent for his past actions, but he certainly isnt trustworthy yet.


To us, the viewers? Or humanity currently in the canon? Because as far as what MB has done that concerns them now, he's a freaking God.

  • 05.30.2011 4:31 PM PDT

By the power of truth, I, while living, have conquered the universe.


Posted by: flamedude
MB seems to be trying to repent for his past actions, but he certainly isnt trustworthy yet.


Why not? He states that the path ahead for John is "fraught with peril" but he will do his best to keep John safe. But what if it's all part of a greater plan?

For instance, I can see the Forerunners becoming quite bitter that they've exiled themselves from the Orion Arm. What if, by giving humanity the Mantle, they were nurturing humanity to rebuild their empire until they were strong enough to return and take it back and MB was trying to atone by helping the Forerunners do this. This could also explain why the Assembly didn't want humanity to use Forerunner technology.

  • 05.30.2011 4:33 PM PDT

Do you know what kind of hat I'm wearing?

A party hat; you don't get one. An honor will this party be, a party in your honor, for your honor. Some of Tfear's personal guards are going to be there. You'll be introduced shortly.

Prepare to die.

that's probable.
Cognitive bias is a general term that is used to describe many observer effects in the human mind, some of which can lead to perceptual distortion, inaccurate judgment, or illogical interpretation

Also
perhaps they are crying out for help
on a subconscious level? Why else
would they have chosen you?

  • 05.30.2011 4:35 PM PDT
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The path ahead is fraught with peril. But I will do all I can to keep it stable - keep you safe. I'm not so foolish to think this will absolve me of my sins. One life hardly balances billions.

But I would have my masters know that I have changed.

And you shall be my example.

  • 05.30.2011 7:05 PM PDT

Have you seen my mind anywhere? I seem to have lost it...

0x0 x0x 0x0 000 000 x0x 000
x0x 0x0 0x0 0xx 000 0x0 000
x0x x0x x00 0xx 0x0 x0x 0x0

I have seen you future

Posted by: MB 032
The path ahead is fraught with peril. But I will do all I can to keep it stable - keep you safe. I'm not so foolish to think this will absolve me of my sins. One life hardly balances billions.

But I would have my masters know that I have changed.

And you shall be my example.

This could mean two things (assuming he is telling the truth).

1) Mendicant Bias is now good.

2) Mendicant Bias is now trying to deceive his makers, after all, he is an incredibly complex AI.

  • 05.30.2011 7:23 PM PDT

Adepto In Meus Campester
Posted by: ParagonRenegade
You were totally and absolutely correct in every way, I don't know why we were arguing, you're so amazing I should never have doubted you.

Quick Mendicant Bias question: in the majority of Halo media MB is shown as having a male personality, but in Cryptum he is a she. What gives?

  • 05.31.2011 6:32 AM PDT

Posted by: Lord Slade
Quick Mendicant Bias question: in the majority of Halo media MB is shown as having a male personality, but in Cryptum he is a she. What gives?


Its Cryptum. What do you expect? It already ****s up the Halo cannon severely. Why not go the extra mile and turn Mendicant Bias, who actually seemed menacing from the terminals, into a girl?

Good God. Halo was ruined by that piece of crap. Why not just burn the games completely while your at it?

[Edited on 05.31.2011 9:05 AM PDT]

  • 05.31.2011 9:04 AM PDT

evil is a bogus word to use, Bias cannot really be classed as evil, since 'it' is a computer program, don't think evil is the correct term, misguided or corrupt might be better but not evil...not by any definition

  • 05.31.2011 9:55 AM PDT
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"Time was your ally human. But now it has abandoned you. The Forerunners....have returned. And this tomb... is now yours". - The Didact

^This

Stereotypical "evil" doesn't exists in the Halo verse.Villians like Truth or grave have their motives unlike stupid villians like...some random marvel -blam!-.

  • 05.31.2011 10:10 AM PDT
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"Time was your ally human. But now it has abandoned you. The Forerunners....have returned. And this tomb... is now yours". - The Didact


Posted by: SangheiliProphet
Posted by: Lord Slade
Quick Mendicant Bias question: in the majority of Halo media MB is shown as having a male personality, but in Cryptum he is a she. What gives?


Its Cryptum. What do you expect? It already ****s up the Halo cannon severely. Why not go the extra mile and turn Mendicant Bias, who actually seemed menacing from the terminals, into a girl?

Good God. Halo was ruined by that piece of crap. Why not just burn the games completely while your at it?


First of all cryptum didn't conflicted anything

Secondly where the hell was MB even referred as a "she" in Cryptum?

He was menacing in this book too,-blam!- up with the capital is pretty badass.

  • 05.31.2011 10:12 AM PDT

not just that though, but don't think you can really label an AI 'evil', think that is reserved for beings that can be truly evil. such as ourselves, humans are capable of true and utter evil, look at the Terminator universe where lots of people think of Skynet as evil when it is not in-fact evil, it is just driven by logic.

don't consider the AI in Halo to be 'alive' so wouldn't like to label them potentially evil, they can't outright do the opposite of what they have been told, like humans can so that isn't free will, therefore not 'alive' in the true sense of the word.

also to finish off, Bias was twisted against his creators, think Anakin Skywalker from Star Wars, he isn't evil as such, he is just lost and the emperor exploits his weaknesses and twists him against his previous allies, Vader was never evil, just misguided.

  • 05.31.2011 10:17 AM PDT
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Posted by: SangheiliProphet
Posted by: Lord Slade
Quick Mendicant Bias question: in the majority of Halo media MB is shown as having a male personality, but in Cryptum he is a she. What gives?


Its Cryptum. What do you expect? It already ****s up the Halo cannon severely. Why not go the extra mile and turn Mendicant Bias, who actually seemed menacing from the terminals, into a girl?

Good God. Halo was ruined by that piece of crap. Why not just burn the games completely while your at it?

Cryptum was amazing, and by far the best Halo novel, it was just confusing.

Posted by: hotshot revan II
Secondly where the hell was MB even referred as a "she" in Cryptum?

He appears as a green female figure if I recall.

  • 05.31.2011 12:48 PM PDT
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Nate Cleaves


Posted by: MGTrey
I'm pretty sure the two other books in Bear's Forerunner trilogy will fill in some gaps, but as it stands, Mendicant Bias atoned for his past sins.

It said somewhere that Bias thought that "saving one life does not atone for billions". He Knows that he has barely atoned for any.

  • 05.31.2011 2:04 PM PDT
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Nate Cleaves

The forerunners decided long ago to perminentily leave the arm forever because of what they did.

  • 05.31.2011 2:06 PM PDT

Posted by: DecepticonCobra
I know I may not have much to base this suspicion on, but I still don't quite trust Bias yet. Sure, he acknowledges humanity as Reclaimers and helped teleport Chief through The Ark's slipspace portal and generally helped him on The Ark, but something seems off.

Offensive Bias did separate him into various portions, one was found on The Ark and the other in the Forerunner Keyship on High Charity, for a reason. I don't know, something feels off.
Of course s/he is still evil, Master Chief is going to get stabbed in the back by Bias, a rampant Cortana, or both, in the next Halo game. It was their plan in the original Halo anyway was to have a fight with a rampant Cortana in the Control Room.

  • 05.31.2011 9:15 PM PDT

still not sure where the definition 'evil' is being brought into a debate about Bias? and of course Bias isn't going to betray John, it is a broken glimmer of what it once was and like it (don't feel right calling it he or she!) it was seeking redemption, from its makers, too show it was wrong...

  • 06.01.2011 3:38 PM PDT

@accordingto343

Your one stop shop for all of 343's fabulous errors and ridiculous notions in the Halo lore.

Look, I don't mean tradition, kick a puppy, punch an orphan, knock very an old lady evil, just couldn't quite get the word to describe him.

  • 06.01.2011 3:42 PM PDT

He's coming back from redemption..

  • 06.01.2011 7:39 PM PDT