- last post: 01.01.0001 12:00 AM PDT
If you just want to cut to the chase, skip down a few paragraphs to the bolded sections.
Anyways, let's assume for a moment that the rings, when set off the first time, killed ALL life forms in the galaxy. That puts everything at stage 1. Life arguably begins to develop (which isn't feasible on developed planets like Earth, but we'll go with it) yet again, and sentient species evolve after many millions of years.
First this theory assumes that our own carbon dating of our world is way off. Reason being that life does not develop immediately, and it would take a while for optimal development conditions to arrive again. Hence suggesting that our section of the galaxy is new and all the elements on it equally new; being compounded from the "older" elements back during the time of the Forerunners.
However, this cannot be possible because Guilty Spark said that he was some 100,000 years old. 100,000 years is hardly enough time to watch any form of significant evolution, let alone develop life.
This means that life somehow survived after the rings went off the first time. Okay, with that settled, now we ask the more relevant question. How is it possible for the Covenant to be light years ahead of the UNSC's technology? Especially if they are quote: "imitative not innovative"? Certainly that means that human tech would progress far more rapidly then alien Covenant technology. And remember, this is assuming that life as we know it started over once the rings were reset--reverting everyone to a "zero" tech state.
But is that possible? Since the Covenant are so much further then the UNSC, it implies one of the following:
* The Covenant preserved their technology better then humans when the first rings were activated
* Covenant races were granted information about the rings and possibly technology by voluntary Forerunner intelligence and cooperation.
The latter is especially interesting to consider because if the Covenant were really helped by the Forerunners, and we go with the whole: Forerunners equal humans theory, why would the Forerunners set themselves at an intentional disadvantage--or for that matter, set any sentient race (namely humans) at a disadvantage? Why would they place the Arc on a relatively sentient homeworld (100,000 years ago, we are talking about pre-Neaderthal man...etc). It just doesn't add up why they have clearly favored the Covenant. Even if they positioned a ring near a Covenant race homeworld and that race managed somehow to survive, even though the blast would probably be stronger, the relative proximity still indicates favoritism. Why?!?!
None of that makes sense. Especially if Forerunners really are humans. This implies a very grave future for the Master Chief. The Forerunners placed a ring relatively near a Covenant homeworld, hoping to kill them off to stop the Flood. The ring must have failed to activate properly, hence the Covenant survived. There can be no other explanation why humans exist today on the world of the Arc (where one would logically assume the blast would hold high concentration) or why the Covenant magically sprang ahead in technology--infused by a vision of Forerunner glory.
That was long but what do you guys say?