Bungie Universe
This topic has moved here: Subject: Covenant and Glassing?
  • Subject: Covenant and Glassing?
Subject: Covenant and Glassing?

This is a question that has been bugging me for some time now, so I'm hoping someone here can answer it. Why do the Covenant, when they discover a human world, send troops planetside? Apart from searching for Forerunner relics, I can't see any logical reasoning behind it. Glassing utterly destroys planets; and if there are any survivors, there is very little chance that they would live much longer.



  • 07.08.2011 5:21 PM PDT

Oregon is the best! YELL-O!!!!! Can't Fly With US!!!

I dont know either, I believe that they think because they are superior to any other being they will just destroy them without much effort. Then they met the human race :D Thats all I can think of. Probably wrong but thats my view of it. Glassing is more a last resort to crush hope of their enemies.

  • 07.08.2011 5:27 PM PDT

"Find where the liar hides, so that I may place my boot between his gums!" - Rtas 'Vadum

Because they have no morals, ethics or honour. They are mandated by a religion to exterminate a sapient race. They are barbarians, nothing more. A Halo Evolutions story revealed how they butchered families in their homes for 2 days on Kholo.

There is no reason for it.

Edit: Re-reading your post, I can see the mistake you made. You are looking for a "logical" reason to it. In short, the Covenant are about as far from logic as one can get.

[Edited on 07.08.2011 5:40 PM PDT]

  • 07.08.2011 5:36 PM PDT

Oregon is the best! YELL-O!!!!! Can't Fly With US!!!

Cant say I knew that. Thanks!

  • 07.08.2011 5:38 PM PDT


Posted by: anton1792
Because they have no morals, ethics or honour. They are mandated by a religion to exterminate a sapient race. They are barbarians, nothing more. A Halo Evolutions story revealed how they butchered families in their homes for 2 days on Kholo.

There is no reason for it.

Edit: Re-reading your post, I can see the mistake you made. You are looking for a "logical" reason to it. In short, the Covenant are about as far from logic as one can get.


And the Shipmaster who lead the genocide felt apalled at what he'd done. They can feel remorse.

The reason I always saw it was a kind of religious ritual to meet the "infection" in battle before exterminating it.

  • 07.08.2011 5:42 PM PDT

"Find where the liar hides, so that I may place my boot between his gums!" - Rtas 'Vadum

Posted by: ROBERTO jh
Posted by: anton1792
Because they have no morals, ethics or honour. They are mandated by a religion to exterminate a sapient race. They are barbarians, nothing more. A Halo Evolutions story revealed how they butchered families in their homes for 2 days on Kholo.

There is no reason for it.

Edit: Re-reading your post, I can see the mistake you made. You are looking for a "logical" reason to it. In short, the Covenant are about as far from logic as one can get.

And the Shipmaster who lead the genocide felt apalled at what he'd done. They can feel remorse.

And I should care why?

A small anecdote for you. After 9/11, Osama Bin Laden created one of his videos stating how he never intended for the Twin Towers to be destroyed, and how he never intended for all 3000 occupants to be murdered. Should I feel any less disgusted with this man?

It does not change what they are.

Edit: Appalled is too strong a word as well. He seemed merely passively intrigued at who those corpses may have been, evinced when his "remorse" evaporated when he saw Forerunner glyphs. Then old feelings took over as if nothing had changed, in trying to further his species further dominance as per usual rather than continue to think about the consequences of his species actions.

[Edited on 07.08.2011 5:59 PM PDT]

  • 07.08.2011 5:46 PM PDT


Posted by: anton1792
Posted by: ROBERTO jh
Posted by: anton1792
Because they have no morals, ethics or honour. They are mandated by a religion to exterminate a sapient race. They are barbarians, nothing more. A Halo Evolutions story revealed how they butchered families in their homes for 2 days on Kholo.

There is no reason for it.

Edit: Re-reading your post, I can see the mistake you made. You are looking for a "logical" reason to it. In short, the Covenant are about as far from logic as one can get.

And the Shipmaster who lead the genocide felt apalled at what he'd done. They can feel remorse.

And I should care why?

A small anecdote for you. After 9/11, Osama Bin Laden created one of his videos stating how he never intended for the Twin Towers to be destroyed, and how he never intended for all 3000 occupants to be murdered. Should I feel any less disgusted with this man?

It does not change what they are.


No, it doesn't. But at least it shows that they are capable of feeling remorse for what they do, it shows they are intelligent and not complete monsters.

Humanity is just a monsterous, irl

  • 07.08.2011 5:59 PM PDT

"Find where the liar hides, so that I may place my boot between his gums!" - Rtas 'Vadum

Posted by: ROBERTO jh
No, it doesn't. But at least it shows that they are capable of feeling remorse for what they do, it shows they are intelligent and not complete monsters.

My edit could go as a response. ^

Posted by: ROBERTO jh
Humanity is just a monsterous, irl

Why is it that every single discussion has to come down to a comparison with Humanity? It is almost as if people are insecure in their damn misanthropist views on this forum. Humanity has nothing to do with this.

Also, why should minority fascist/religious fundamentalist and extremists stand for all of Humanity? The Sangheili are virtually an entire race of religious fascists.

[Edited on 07.08.2011 6:13 PM PDT]

  • 07.08.2011 6:13 PM PDT

Humanity could never Reach the stage the Sangheili did.

  • 07.08.2011 6:16 PM PDT


Posted by: anton1792
Posted by: ROBERTO jh
No, it doesn't. But at least it shows that they are capable of feeling remorse for what they do, it shows they are intelligent and not complete monsters.

My edit could go as a response. ^

Posted by: ROBERTO jh
Humanity is just a monsterous, irl

Why is it that every single discussion has to come down to a comparison with Humanity? It is almost as if people are insecure in their damn misanthropist views on this forum. Humanity has nothing to do with this.

Also, why should minority fascist/religious fundamentalist and extremists stand for all of Humanity? The Sangheili are virtually an entire race of religious fascists.


I distinctly remember the Shipmaster becoming terrified at the sight of a human tomb, where families had gathered in one last good bye.

Besides, in a manner of 6 years, he was already seeing them as people, something they never would have even considered during the war.

And I'm merely comparing humanity to them in an (apparently futile) attempt to point out that, given the proper technology, we can be just as screwed up as they were. The Covenant was blinded by their faith, just like any other genocidal organization or state could be/has been.

So saying all of the Covenant were monsters is narrow minded.

Do you by any chance hate the Covenant for some reason, and anyone associated with them?

You also seem, edgy, as if the slightest thing could send you spiriling into a rage fest. Does that have anything to do with your Covenant hatred?

  • 07.08.2011 6:23 PM PDT

I like Halo games, nuff said.

For the record, glassing takes a LONG time

And evacuations take a comparitively short time.

[Edited on 07.08.2011 6:25 PM PDT]

  • 07.08.2011 6:24 PM PDT

I distinctly remember the Shipmaster becoming terrified at the sight of a human tomb, where families had gathered in one last good bye.

Besides, in a manner of 6 years, he was already seeing them as people, something they never would have even considered during the war.

And I'm merely comparing humanity to them in an (apparently futile) attempt to point out that, given the proper technology, we can be just as screwed up as they were. The Covenant was blinded by their faith, just like any other genocidal organization or state could be/has been.

So saying all of the Covenant were monsters is narrow minded.

Do you by any chance hate the Covenant for some reason, and anyone associated with them?

You also seem, edgy, as if the slightest thing could send you spiriling into a rage fest. Does that have anything to do with your Covenant hatred?


But the Covenant OPENLY committed genocide, and their entire society thought it was a good thing that they were wiping out an entire race.

However, in the history of humankind, most genocides have been kept secret from the general populace, like the Great Purge, the Holocaust, the slaughter of the Armenians during WW1.

  • 07.08.2011 6:32 PM PDT

"Find where the liar hides, so that I may place my boot between his gums!" - Rtas 'Vadum

Posted by: ROBERTO jh
I distinctly remember the Shipmaster becoming terrified at the sight of a human tomb, where families had gathered in one last good bye.

Besides, in a manner of 6 years, he was already seeing them as people, something they never would have even considered during the war.

That would probably be the same thing I would do. Except that the Shipmaster and I would diverge at the point where he discovers those Foreunner glyphs and implies intent to torture. He wishes to speak to his "Gods" but lends no doubt to whether they will wish to see him or his people after committing genocide. Therefore it is highly probable that he and his people do not really give a damn what they did. How is about helping the Human for the sake of just helping the Human? No, he is tool, a means to an end that completely disregards Humanity and the horrors that the Sangheili inflicted upon it. In that entire story, there is no proper attempt by the Shipmaster, and no references to his people trying, to seek proper atonement.

I actually cannot believe that there are people that like the Covenant. To me, it is like someone liking Al-Qaeda. It is completely mental.

Posted by: ROBERTO jh
And I'm merely comparing humanity to them in an (apparently futile) attempt to point out that, given the proper technology, we can be just as screwed up as they were. The Covenant was blinded by their faith, just like any other genocidal organization or state could be/has been.

So saying all of the Covenant were monsters is narrow minded.

I am not saying that they are innately evil, but the fact remains that they did do disgusting acts regardless. They were, and are, monsters just like any religious/idealogical zealot inspired to do disgusting acts are. This is aggravated by its apparent lack of atonement for past mistakes and the pride and arrogance that is still carried.

It also goes beyond their religion to their everyday beliefs. They are barbaric and primitive at that level even without their religion. They have many unfounded and deplorable double standards in their society.

And I still do not see why Humanity was brought into this. This is not a chauvinistic "Who is better" discussion. Regardless about Humanity, the Covenant are monsters.

Posted by: ROBERTO jh
Do you by any chance hate the Covenant for some reason, and anyone associated with them?

You also seem, edgy, as if the slightest thing could send you spiriling into a rage fest. Does that have anything to do with your Covenant hatred?

It sort of represents everything that I despise and mock, so yes I do dislike it. However, this is irrelevant.

  • 07.08.2011 7:24 PM PDT

one thing is they send them down first to take out certain targets that can threaten the glassing process like the SMAC generaters communications launch stations also we see in the end of exodus that even as there attacking we can slip exacuation ships to other planets so since we are supposed to be an infection they think they need to disable those ships so the infection doesnt get to other planets

  • 07.08.2011 8:25 PM PDT


Posted by: Tempus Irae
But the Covenant OPENLY committed genocide, and their entire society thought it was a good thing that they were wiping out an entire race.


Yeah... and what about the Atomic Bombs, huh?
Killing hundreds of thousands of innocents? But I'm sure you're okay with that, huh?

  • 07.08.2011 8:52 PM PDT

"Find where the liar hides, so that I may place my boot between his gums!" - Rtas 'Vadum

Posted by: LarryK32
Posted by: Tempus Irae
But the Covenant OPENLY committed genocide, and their entire society thought it was a good thing that they were wiping out an entire race.

Yeah... and what about the Atomic Bombs, huh?
Killing hundreds of thousands of innocents? But I'm sure you're okay with that, huh?

Please, highlight the sentence where he said that. Highlight a phrase where he even implies that.

I'll be waiting right here.

And what has the atomic bomb got to do with anything that he said there anyway?

  • 07.08.2011 9:20 PM PDT