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Subject: Link between Marathon and Halo storylines?
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First off, apologies if this is a repeat of an old question. I haven't found it covered in my (admittedly limited) scan of the forum, so...

At one time I read about a link between the Marathon and Halo storylines, as hinted at by the appearance of the Marathon logo on the bridge of Halo's Pillar of Autumn and its Captain's chest insignia.

Beyond that, though, I haven't seen or read anything. Has there been anything else?

  • 10.23.2004 12:42 PM PDT
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There are many subtle (and not-so-subtle) links found in Halo and Marathon.

I leave it to Bungie to explain these in the end.

(But I do agree with one of those threads; having Durandal fly down in a Jjaro dreadnaught and kick the Covenant around would be the best ending ever, for those of us who have actually played Marathon.)

[Edited on 10/23/2004 12:46:42 PM]

  • 10.23.2004 12:46 PM PDT
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Posted by: Recon Number 54
Tons and tons.... got a couple of weeks? Would get you up to speed! *grin* Unfortunately, it's all speculation and theory.


Nifty! As luck would have it, I got just over a couple of weeks (what, two weeks and three days, now?) to kill.

Has any of this stuff been collected anywheres for easy readin'?

  • 10.23.2004 1:20 PM PDT
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Go to HBO's Halo Story page. I'll post a lazy link.

-EDIT-
Here you go. http://halosm.bungie.org/story/marathon.html But I wouldn't call it easy reading.

[Edited on 10/23/2004 1:30:36 PM]

  • 10.23.2004 1:28 PM PDT
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Posted by: Ender
Go to HBO's Halo Story page. I'll post a lazy link.

-EDIT-
Here you go. http://halosm.bungie.org/story/marathon.html But I wouldn't call it easy reading.


Thankyuh, I'll check it out.

  • 10.23.2004 1:34 PM PDT
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I posted this a while ago, but I'll repost it again, seeing as how this is the only fragment of tru7h connecting Marathon and Halo that comes directly from a former Bungie employee (at least, the only one I know of)
-------

While reading the new November issue of XBN (the Halo2 one), I noticed a very interesting quote from The Man(Alex Seropian, co-founder of Bungie) himself. The quote isn't from the Halo2 singleplayer article, but from an article on the making of Halo1.

The article reads, '...But for Seropian, it all starts with Marathon...What they [Marathon players] didn't know is that the character they were playing was the very first incarnation of Master Chief... "I don't think you ever find that out, but it's the same character," Seropian says. "God, we've never said that before, but it's completely obvious. Cortana isn't in Marathon, but there are three A.I.s in there that came from the same stylistic story line." '

Now, the only question left is, is the security officer literally the same character as the Chief, or a previous incarnation of the same entity?

  • 10.23.2004 1:36 PM PDT
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I think the Security Officer from Marathon is the same guy as John
117, but he's another "incarnation." The Final screen of Infinity says
it all. I've spent a lot of time speculating on the subject of Marathon
Halo connections, but with 16 days to go, I think I can wait.

Although what about left hands? The SO always used the SPNKr
over his left shoulder, but the Chief uses his right. Of course the
Cheif shoots with his right and throws grendades with his left, so
you could say he's ambidextrous. (hope I spelled that right) Still,
why the right shoulder, and not the left?

There's also the Watcher's left hand from Myth, but that gets really
confusing. Can anyone help me out?

  • 10.23.2004 2:54 PM PDT
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Bungie has also said without any room for misinterpretation that the Halo and Marathon story lines are different and not at all related. Granted there was a lot of homage paid to marathon and elements drawn from it, but when bungie straight out says something I tend to think it can be believed. Don't think they have ever lied especially to cover up the truth of something like that. One place in particular I can think of where they say this is the FAQ section under Marathon on bnet.

  • 10.23.2004 4:36 PM PDT
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Posted by: Achilles VI

(But I do agree with one of those threads; having Durandal fly down in a Jjaro dreadnaught and kick the Covenant around would be the best ending ever, for those of us who have actually played Marathon.)

Oi! that was my thread! I feel so good being noticed like that! yay!

  • 10.23.2004 7:28 PM PDT
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Posted by: SPARTAN O43
INow, the only question left is, is the security officer literally the same character as the Chief, or a previous incarnation of the same entity?


But you were dead a thousand times. Hopeless encounters successfully won. A man long dead, grafted to machines your builders did not understand. you follow the path, fitting into an infinite pattern.

Yours to manipulate, to destroy and rebuild.

Now, in the quantum moment before the closure, when all become one. one moment left. one point of space and time.

I know who you are.

You are destiny...

  • 10.23.2004 7:32 PM PDT
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Bungie does have an official stance, on the Marathon FAQ page on this very site.

Marathon is a basis for Halo- everything that is Halo comes from old Marathon ideas getting jumbled, refreshed, and served up new, and tossed around with things left unsaid or ideas frow new members.

But they're two totally different universes. And barring some space-time warping in future games, there's no literal connection.

Check the Marathon page if ya don't believe me.

  • 10.23.2004 8:06 PM PDT
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But Gspawn... that doesn't rule out the closure of the universe theory that eMCee, Recon, Devon, BobBQ and I had going... Durandal being the champ he was discovered a way of escaping the closure of the universe and hence becomes an ultimate being in the new universe... with the same thing going for the SO.

As for the SO and the MC being the same person... I say thats stupid... the SO was far cooler, he wouldn't take a backwards step ;-)

Tristan ;-)

  • 10.23.2004 9:09 PM PDT
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The Halo and Marathon universes dont have to be the same for the character to be the same.

What I'm trying to say is, what if the Marathon universe closed, after t-minus 15.347328487E+9 whatever years, but some characters (the S.O. as the Chief, and maybe Durandal as...who knows) are reborn in a new universe (Halo's universe). Not only would this be an interesting plot device, but it allows Bungie to keep making more kick-ass games with subtle connections to previous ones =)

  • 10.23.2004 9:14 PM PDT
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Posted by: Gaara of Sand
But Gspawn... that doesn't rule out the closure of the universe theory that eMCee, Recon, Devon, BobBQ and I had going... Durandal being the champ he was discovered a way of escaping the closure of the universe and hence becomes an ultimate being in the new universe... with the same thing going for the SO.

But that would imply that the SO wasnt out kicking ass for durandal... how uncool is that?

  • 10.23.2004 9:36 PM PDT
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The United States of America-- STILL more rights than North Korea!
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my point was if the SO was a supreme being of sorts, he wouldn't be ass-kicking at all.

  • 10.23.2004 9:56 PM PDT
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Maybe he likes kicking ass?

  • 10.23.2004 10:27 PM PDT
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Posted by: Texas Ben
my point was if the SO was a supreme being of sorts, he wouldn't be ass-kicking at all.

A "supreme being" can have many definitions. You could define such
a being as something of pure energy that would say "die!, and then
it would happen, or you could define it as a being that can incarnate
itself as a cyborg over and over, ultimately kicking ass in style.

I can understand why some guys wouldn't see the connections
between Halo and Marathon, but if you're going to say that Bungie
wouldn't lie, then what Alex Seropian said in XBN wouldn't be a
lie either. While he doesn't work for Bungie anymore, I think the
legal owners of the game have some control over what a former
employee says about their game in a publication,(especially if it
involves the story) and Bungie would probably deny what he said
if it weren't true. How you interpret what he said is up to you
however.

  • 10.23.2004 10:40 PM PDT
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Posted by: SPARTAN O43
I posted this a while ago, but I'll repost it again, seeing as how this is the only fragment of tru7h connecting Marathon and Halo that comes directly from a former Bungie employee (at least, the only one I know of)
-------

While reading the new November issue of XBN (the Halo2 one), I noticed a very interesting quote from The Man(Alex Seropian, co-founder of Bungie) himself. The quote isn't from the Halo2 singleplayer article, but from an article on the making of Halo1.

The article reads, '...But for Seropian, it all starts with Marathon...What they [Marathon players] didn't know is that the character they were playing was the very first incarnation of Master Chief... "I don't think you ever find that out, but it's the same character," Seropian says. "God, we've never said that before, but it's completely obvious. Cortana isn't in Marathon, but there are three A.I.s in there that came from the same stylistic story line." '

Now, the only question left is, is the security officer literally the same character as the Chief, or a previous incarnation of the same entity?


Alex does not say that the two storylines are crossable in that article. What he says is that they were basically cut from the same design, and I get the idea that Halo was maybe another story line idea that they came up with when making Marathon perhapse. And again he says the thing about Cortana not being in Marathon, but that they came from the same stylistic story line. This all indicates similarities, not crossable stories. When he says MC and the SO from Marathon are the same character, it does not look like he means they are literally the same person, but rather the same design for a character.

  • 10.24.2004 10:15 AM PDT
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What is Marathon?

  • 10.24.2004 2:10 PM PDT
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do some research on Bungie's previous work, then come back. You have about two weeks to kill, sounds like the perfect time to go learn.

  • 10.24.2004 2:50 PM PDT
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Posted by: Chico12
What is Marathon?

http://bungie.net/Games/Marathon/page.aspx?section=FAQInfo&am p;subsection=FAQs&page=1 Follow the link to find out about marathon.

  • 10.24.2004 2:56 PM PDT
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Marathon is one of bungie's earlier games (yes, they have made more games then halo and halo 2). This page has links to them all, but you will be most interested in This one.

Halo is the spiritual sequel to marathon, there might not be direct ties, but have many common elements: the player is a cyborg/augmented human fighting a slaver race bent on human desctruction, while exploring the ruins of an anchient race's technological marvels. There is also crazy AI, a imersive plot (halo has nothing on marathon), great multiplayer and a look and feel that has never been reproduced in another game.

You will find many direct links to marathon in halo as well, the marathon logo is everywhere in halo (most noticeable is on the side of the POA, on capt keyes name tag and on Guilty Sparks face). The weapons are similar (the rocket launcher is identical) and many of the level names in halo are derived from marathon names.

Best part: marathon 1 and 2 are a free download. See the sticky thread at the top of the undergound here.

  • 10.24.2004 3:03 PM PDT
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Posted by: Corltan
Alex does not say that the two storylines are crossable in that article. What he says is that they were basically cut from the same design, and I get the idea that Halo was maybe another story line idea that they came up with when making Marathon perhapse. And again he says the thing about Cortana not being in Marathon, but that they came from the same stylistic story line. This all indicates similarities, not crossable stories. When he says MC and the SO from Marathon are the same character, it does not look like he means they are literally the same person, but rather the same design for a character.

We're probably going to have to agree to disagree here, but I'd like
point out that what Alex said is in direct contradiction to the Marathon
FAQ. The FAQ says that the stories have wholly different
characters, while Alex clearly says they're the same character. The
allusions to the afterlife and ressurection in the Cortana Letters,
Marathon, and the Halo books, coupled with the ending of Infinity,
and now with a former Bungie employee saying that the cyborgs
are the same character is too much for me too ignore and say the
stories are in no way connected to the same ongoing story through
PiD, Marathon, and now Halo. There was even an article here
on Bungie.net that encouraged players to find these connections
between Marathon and Halo. (although it never clearly said that
the games were on the same story.)

I can see your point of view, but trying to fit the games together
makes the experience 10 times as much fun for me, simply
because I like Marathon's story so much.

  • 10.24.2004 3:34 PM PDT

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