- anton1792
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- Noble Legendary Member
"Find where the liar hides, so that I may place my boot between his gums!" - Rtas 'Vadum
Posted by: Wolverfrog
Unlike a dog or a cat, humans and Sangheili are truly sentient; that is to say, aware of self. More than just urges and instincts and doctrines.
It's an interesting thought but I don't think it'd hold true. Dogs are inherently pack-orientated creatures too; they deviate to whoever they perceive as their leader, which in the case of domesticated animals is their owner.
Plus, the 5000 years of suppression by the Covenant isn't enough to genetically affect the species; and that's assuming that immediately the Sangheili bent to the Covenant's will, which we know not to be so from The Duel.
It probably took at least the better part of a thousand years for them to truly settle into their role as protector, and even then there wasn't enough time for evolution to actually adapt to that role and change their physiology and psychology as a species.
I'm not saying the Covenant haven't had an impact on Sangheili culture and mindset, but I do believe that to suggest their intelligence as a species has been lessened by but a few thousand years of suppression is to go too far with one's asseveration.
Sentience does not grant you control over how a gene will behave in a host. Sentience itself is a subject of your genes, relying on things to do with the relative proportion of the brain to the body, its structure, efficiency and complexity which is all dictated by your genetics.
I think it would come down to how widespread the practice is, and to a lesser extent how long it has been going on for. It is not known if it is either their own initiative or a Covenant inspired one so we do not really know how long it has been going on for, nor do we really know if every state did it. If they did though then it could potentially produce measurable effects within a few centuries, perhaps less. This probably is not something that 343i would explore though.