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This topic has moved here: Subject: Why did Emile never show his face in Reach?
  • Subject: Why did Emile never show his face in Reach?
Subject: Why did Emile never show his face in Reach?

"It is not a goal, but a process. The process of creating the perfect world."

Emile sees himself as a SPARTAN, and nothing more. Thus, to him the real Emile is his armor, not the man underneath. This is conveyed by having Emile never take off his helmet, making him appear inhuman to the viewers. His contempt for Jorge's soft side also conveys Emile's views on both himself and what he believes a SPARTAN should be: a soldier and a killer first and foremost.

Giving a human face to Emile would completely ruin the image of man who, deep down, is afraid or unable to admit that, augmentation, training, and armor aside, he is just a man.

  • 08.07.2011 8:53 PM PDT


Posted by: RifleAvenger
Emile sees himself as a SPARTAN, and nothing more. Thus, to him the real Emile is his armor, not the man underneath. This is conveyed by having Emile never take off his helmet, making him appear inhuman to the viewers. His contempt for Jorge's soft side also conveys Emile's views on both himself and what he believes a SPARTAN should be: a soldier and a killer first and foremost.

Giving a human face to Emile would completely ruin the image of man who, deep down, is afraid or unable to admit that, augmentation, training, and armor aside, he is just a man.


Yes, it adds alot more mystery to the character too, like 6, Rookie, and Chief. And what's more interesting is that he's flambouyant, and the other 3 are not, and he still doesn't remove his helmet. Just that white skull of death staring at you.

As for Noble Team not having 'personality', who cares? They're Sparatns. In the novels, they never yapped on about bs or acted all goofy like the ODSTs in Halo 3: ODST. They're about business, nothing else. And besides, I thought Jorge, Jun, and Kat had great personalities. Carter was like Chief, he had to be serious, 6 again, is like Chief in a way, he's you, so you don't want to give off too much personality, and he's a machine, a hyper lethal vector, and Emile is a killing machine, a Spartan, proud of it, and doesn't want to be looked at as anything else. It even says in his bio/profile or whatever that he doesn't work well with or get along with 'non-Spartans'.

  • 08.07.2011 9:11 PM PDT

It takes a real man to back down from a fight, but it takes a spartan to finish it!

Emile didn't like humans. He liked being a spartan and the armor is apart of the spartan so by not taking it off he is hiding the fact that he is human. He wants people to think hes some sort of god.

  • 08.07.2011 9:24 PM PDT

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Posted by: ajw34307
I feel that this is applicable to Emile.

Thanks for that, I laughed hard.

  • 08.07.2011 11:06 PM PDT

-blam!- Was that actually blammed out? Or did I just type it? You'll never know.

He's ugly.

  • 08.07.2011 11:09 PM PDT

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Because he spent all that time on the Helmet, he needed it to show it off.

  • 08.07.2011 11:33 PM PDT

Walk softly, and carry a big midget.

You do see his face. His visor was transparent.

  • 08.08.2011 12:06 AM PDT

I'm an Anarchist. I don't need a government to be a good person, but I'm glad it's here because some of you clearly do.

I'm still wondering why any of the Spartans removed their helmets. Especially Carter in his last flight; he was under fire in a combat zone.

I recall that in Ghosts of Onyx one of the SIII's threw up in their helmet but would still not take it off.

Now I can understand Bungie simply overriding the novels since Halo is theirs, but what the Spartan II and III have become to us has to do a great deal with the novels that Reach seems to have blatantly defied.

Note that the Spartan III's wouldn't even exist if it were not for Ghosts of Onyx.

Kinda seems like pissing in the fountain from which they drank, IMO.

As for Emile not ever taking off his helmet? Probably because the only face he'd like people to see is the one he engraved onto the visor of his helmet.

  • 08.08.2011 12:30 AM PDT

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Posted by: Acres 057
I'm still wondering why any of the Spartans removed their helmets. Especially Carter in his last flight; he was under fire in a combat zone.


Well when there is blood/damage on your helmet and you can't see through it, It's better to be vulnerable but be able to fly than to be protected and blind.

  • 08.08.2011 12:58 AM PDT


Posted by: prometheus25

Posted by: xI Camisado Ix

Posted by: prometheus25
I feel like it couldn't easily be done. The fans are jaded, in some ways, by Spartans. In Halo:CE, it was the first time we were laying eyes on Master Chief. We were drawn to him.

Add in the fact that there was only one protagonist to have the screen, and it would seem more likely that fleshing out five characters, half of which die 2/3 of the way into the game, in just one single game after we, the fans, are familiar with Spartans enough to loose the awe factor would just be too difficult. The game would end up with too much dialogue, which goes against how a super soldier would behave.
I kind of disagree. In Halo 3: ODST Bungie proved that they could bring in a new and enjoyable cast. The characters you fought alongside with were all very likable in my opinion. Bungie did a great job introducing me to a squad I liked.

In Reach, everyone on Noble team is so devoid of personality or anything that makes them unique. It just feels like they had no emotions.

If Noble team was as fleshed out as your ODST squad was, I'm sure Reach could have been a better game.


You can pump more emotion into human characters. Spartans I wouldn't consider human. Limited social action, complete military life, reduced sex drive (which can account for a lot more than most people realize.

Having a Spartan joke and be out of line in a military situation would be taboo.


I think its safe to say Spartans are "emotionless" in a sense. Not complete devoid of them of course, but taught to block emotions.
That alone makes character development unlikely when you take a crew of Spartans.

Besides that, lets not forget that having a group of 6 Spartans who all saw incredible gruesome things in their lives (all orphants so they've all witnessed their families being killed and their homeplanets being glassed at young age. All deployed in numerous battles. All highly trained killing machines that have killed many Covies and have seen many of their own being killed in complete massacres). And people are seriously thinking they would show any changes etc in personality because of what happens to Reach?
They've gone through that multiple times already. They're just there to get the job done. Only one of them who actually cares for the planet because of an emotional bond with it, is Jorge and he does express that several times.

But the "problem" is not the characters lacking character development. The problem is a lot of us not realizing it is not about Noble Team, but about the tragedy of mankind as a whole. The drama comes from fighting a desperate war that you most likely won't win, at all costs while everything around you goes to hell.
Reach is the main character in the game, not Noble Team.

  • 08.08.2011 3:02 AM PDT

It's only a flesh wound!

In a way, his skull WAS his face. He was a ruthless fighter, gruff and rather harsh. That might be why, the skull fits him.

  • 08.08.2011 1:22 PM PDT

XxXD3LuuX3 X luuC1d17YXxX

I just want to know why he talked like a sterotypical black person. Hell, why did anyone on Noble Team have an accent?

  • 08.08.2011 1:29 PM PDT

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Posted by: Makko Mace
I just want to know why he talked like a sterotypical black person. Hell, why did anyone on Noble Team have an accent?


Orson Scott Card explained it well in his comments about his Ender's Game series.

Early colonization will be government sponsored, and those governments will want their own people on the ships. Thus, the early colonization efforts will create cultural pockets around the galaxy.

When the future colony ships leave, those on them might want to stick with something familiar, maintaining those cultural concentrations for many generations.

It's the same reason why we have Chinatown in the US, or other ethnic densities.

  • 08.08.2011 1:47 PM PDT

XxXD3LuuX3 X luuC1d17YXxX


Posted by: prometheus25

Posted by: Makko Mace
I just want to know why he talked like a sterotypical black person. Hell, why did anyone on Noble Team have an accent?


Orson Scott Card explained it well in his comments about his Ender's Game series.

Early colonization will be government sponsored, and those governments will want their own people on the ships. Thus, the early colonization efforts will create cultural pockets around the galaxy.

When the future colony ships leave, those on them might want to stick with something familiar, maintaining those cultural concentrations for many generations.

It's the same reason why we have Chinatown in the US, or other ethnic densities.


UNSC =/= sperate countries

Also, being razed from the age of 6 ish, should eliminate any such accent, or at least make just a faint trace.

  • 08.08.2011 1:59 PM PDT

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Posted by: Senor Catnip
Maybe he's shy.


I agree with this. His aggressive behavior could be accounted to pent up emotion. Anger at the Covenant, at the UNSC, at anybody.

  • 08.08.2011 2:26 PM PDT

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
'Halo, it's finished.'

'No, I think it's just getting started'

You can actually find what Emile looks like (Unmasked) if you look at Bungies earlier concept arts.

  • 08.08.2011 2:38 PM PDT
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Do not waste your tears, I was not born to watch the world grow dim. Life is not measured in years, but by the deeds of men.

Posted by: goldhawk
We should know better, because we are better.

But the colonies still have cultural influences. The UNSC is sort of like the UN, insofar that it discomposed of several different countries. Those countries in there will still want their own citizens in space as opposed too others.

I also like the ugly theory.
Posted by: Makko Mace

Posted by: prometheus25

Posted by: Makko Mace
I just want to know why he talked like a sterotypical black person. Hell, why did anyone on Noble Team have an accent?


Orson Scott Card explained it well in his comments about his Ender's Game series.

Early colonization will be government sponsored, and those governments will want their own people on the ships. Thus, the early colonization efforts will create cultural pockets around the galaxy.

When the future colony ships leave, those on them might want to stick with something familiar, maintaining those cultural concentrations for many generations.

It's the same reason why we have Chinatown in the US, or other ethnic densities.


UNSC =/= sperate countries

Also, being razed from the age of 6 ish, should eliminate any such accent, or at least make just a faint trace.

  • 08.08.2011 2:39 PM PDT

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
'Halo, it's finished.'

'No, I think it's just getting started'


Posted by: Makko Mace

Posted by: prometheus25

Posted by: Makko Mace
I just want to know why he talked like a sterotypical black person. Hell, why did anyone on Noble Team have an accent?


Orson Scott Card explained it well in his comments about his Ender's Game series.

Early colonization will be government sponsored, and those governments will want their own people on the ships. Thus, the early colonization efforts will create cultural pockets around the galaxy.

When the future colony ships leave, those on them might want to stick with something familiar, maintaining those cultural concentrations for many generations.

It's the same reason why we have Chinatown in the US, or other ethnic densities.


UNSC =/= sperate countries

Also, being razed from the age of 6 ish, should eliminate any such accent, or at least make just a faint trace.




Spartan III's were trained at varied ages, Carter was trained roundabout 10 years old.

  • 08.08.2011 2:42 PM PDT

XxXD3LuuX3 X luuC1d17YXxX

Still, they should not have strong accents, it's absurd.

  • 08.08.2011 3:09 PM PDT

Jun took off his helmet first.

  • 08.08.2011 3:57 PM PDT

~Thomsn0w


Posted by: The super hahaja

Posted by: Makko Mace

Posted by: prometheus25

Posted by: Makko Mace
I just want to know why he talked like a sterotypical black person. Hell, why did anyone on Noble Team have an accent?


Orson Scott Card explained it well in his comments about his Ender's Game series.

Early colonization will be government sponsored, and those governments will want their own people on the ships. Thus, the early colonization efforts will create cultural pockets around the galaxy.

When the future colony ships leave, those on them might want to stick with something familiar, maintaining those cultural concentrations for many generations.

It's the same reason why we have Chinatown in the US, or other ethnic densities.


UNSC =/= sperate countries

Also, being razed from the age of 6 ish, should eliminate any such accent, or at least make just a faint trace.




Spartan III's were trained at varied ages, Carter was trained roundabout 10 years old.

This. Also, they were getting trained by people from different colonies and were around other children as well.

  • 08.09.2011 7:33 AM PDT
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Posted by: Makko Mace
I just want to know why he talked like a sterotypical black person. Hell, why did anyone on Noble Team have an accent?
Stereotypical black person? Wut?

  • 08.09.2011 8:04 AM PDT

because he's crazy.

  • 08.09.2011 8:49 AM PDT

Watch This.

There was a picture of him in Halsey's lab.

  • 08.09.2011 8:59 AM PDT

Old school Bungie, born and raised,
In the Septagon is where I spend most of my days.
Relaxin', maxin', posting all cool,
Talking about Halo, life and some school.
Got in one little argument, and the mods got scared,
they said "You're gonna get banned and your member title'll be bare!"


Posted by: Makko Mace
Still, they should not have strong accents, it's absurd.


My apologies on behalf of Bungie for trying to create a game where multiple cultural diverse fans can identify with different characters.

I'm sorry that not everyone can sound white, middle-class.

  • 08.09.2011 9:04 AM PDT