- Primo84
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"Sometimes life gives you lemons, and then you have to say 'f**k the lemons' and bail."
If you're reading this, you need to stop stalking me. If you can't stop stalking me, you might as well go here.
Quoting myself for good measure.
Posted by: Primo84
Posted by: GusconGreat reply.
ONI's powerYou're absolutely right. Thirty years of war doesn't just end that easily, and the people at ONI know that. In fact, ONI has more work than ever now that the 'official' fighting has stopped; colonies have gone dark, the Insurrection seems to be perking back up, and the lines between ally and enemy aren't clear at all.
TimeframeI wish they would have spaced it out a little bit longer after the end of Halo 3, but whatever.
From the sound of it, the SPARTAN-IV Program is only in the planning stages, so I don't really see it as an issue. Some people may ask why it's even necessary, but keep in mind that ONI doesn't see the war as over. It makes sense that they'd just start from scrap with a new program rather than continue with S-III, what with their project leader dying, the destruction of their base of operations, and the fact that everyone seems to have grown a conscience about the use of children for military projects.
Infinity, on the other hand, seems like it was left kind of ambiguous. Did they ever really give a definitive answer to how far along it was in construction? The whole thing begs the question of it being wise to invest in such a (seemingly) important project with The Covenant bearing down on Earth. Then again, who knows what the time frame regarding ONI receiving word of the Covenant's discovery of the location of Earth and the beginning of the project was.
Less than two months passed between the Fall of Reach and the beginning of the Battle of Earth. Infinity could have started well before Reach chosen as the sacrificial lamb for RED FLAG. Remember, the events of the original trilogy only take place in a matter of weeks.
As made evident by...well...everything, a lot can happen over the course of a few months.
Outlook of the ElitesThe Elites are -blam!-. Some people may see a problem between the events of this story and when the events of The Return take place, but I think it just goes to further show how dire the Elites' situation is.
Hood said it himself, there are probably UNSC and Covenant elements out in space still that haven't received word that the fighting has stopped. We see right there in Glasslands that there are rogue elements in Sangheili society that don't agree with the path The Arbiter is leading them down.
It's a problem that, realistically speaking, isn't going to clear itself up overnight. Because of this, I don't see any problem in continuity between Glasslands and The Return.
Ragging on HalseyThis is all conjecture, but regarding Mendez, I can't help but feel he's been mulling over the morality of his actions for years. When approached with the SPARTAN-III Project, he was probably still in a state of denial. Throughout that time, he probably came to terms with the things he was doing, and was just beginning to accept the fact that he had done unspeakable things around the time Halsey came around.
The thing with Halsey is, while we know she feels immense guilt on the inside, she keeps up this "don't -blam!- with me" charade for everyone else. It's all about not looking weak, if you ask me. Hell, even after learning her own daughter had died, she tries to hold it in so her Spartans don't see her cry.
I feel as if Catherine Halsey is still struggling with what she's done. On one hand, she's feeling guilty and telling herself that she deserves any punishment she has coming, and on the other, she's trying to justify her methods to Paragnosky, and asserting that she (Paragnosky) has no moral high ground to stand on.
Hell, I think the word martyrdom is even thrown around somewhere in there.
Halsey is still working her way to where Mendez in terms of mental state, but because she's still conflicted and wants to look strong, she kind of comes off as if she has no remorse for what she's done. That's all Paragnosky, Mendez, and the others see. They're not in Halsey's head like we are. In fact, I think the outward result of Halsey's inner conflict is what sets Mendez against her in the first place.
Here he is, accepting that he may be a bit of a monster, and in strolls Halsey with her "don't blame me, it was for the good of humanity" mentality. Wouldn't that piss most people off?
It comes off as extremely hypocritical, but there's a rhyme and reason for it.
Paragnosky is much more set in her ways than both Mendez or Halsey. She states herself that she doesn't seek any moral high ground in respect to her involvement in the Spartan Projects: she knows she's approved unspeakable things, and she doesn't care. Paragnosky is convinced that the immoral things she has to do in her position save the lives and consciences of others. There are no ifs, ands, or buts about it with her.
I think her beef with Halsey is not so much that she lied to her, but that she sees recognizes that Halsey is conflicted, and she sees that in itself as weakness. Like Mendez, Halsey is coming off as very high and mighty to Parangosky, and I think it infuriates her. I think Margaret wants Halsey to know that she is no better than her.
And this creates an extremely interesting dynamic. You have Mendez on one side, who seems to be recently set in his ways of feeling guilty about his involvement, and he resents Halsey for being conflicted.
On the other side, you have Parangosky, who is convinced that their actions are justified in their overall benefit for humanity, and she also hates Halsey for being conflicted.
Parangosky is black.
Mendez is white.
Halsey is stuck in that grey area in-between, and everyone resents her for it.
I feel like Serin Osman has completely legitimate issues with Halsey. She sees it as Halsey having stolen her life from her, killed her, then abandoned her. It's not really as significant as the Halsey-Mendez-Parangosky dynamic.
Power gatheringYep, and ONI and the UNSC have a lot to clean up. Not only is there the post-war situation with the remnants of the Covenant, but Insurrection is back, and likely with a collective of colonists that feel abandoned by their military.
Humanity should be as worried about their internal post-war situation as much as the Elites are theirs.
Humanity and the Forerunners
I'm not sure what you're referring to.
Virgil
Again, I'm not sure what you're talking about, but you bringing up Virgil reminds me that he could have been used as a means to integrate Forerunner tech and begin work on Infinity.
Then again, that would create an implausible time frame in regards to comments on Infinity earlier in this post.