Prophets
Once locked in a bitter war with the Elites, the discovery of Forerunner technology quelled hostilities long enough to form a pact where the Elites would protect the Prophets and facilitate the scourging of the galaxy in a joint attempt to discover the mode of the Forerunner's ascension from physical reality (what they refer to as The Great Journey). Though formed through mutual agreement and governed by a Council of both races, the three Prophets known as the Hierarchs ultimately control all aspects of the Covenant's government, military, and theology. Whether their claim to have evolved on a planet laden with Forerunner tech or their intrinsic skill at manipulation has secured this place as the Covenant priest-leaders is not fully known. Regardless, the Prophets are by far the most subtle and mysterious of the Covenant races.
In any "Making Of" the focus inevitably turns towards aspects trimmed due to time constraints. Jaime Griesemer had mentioned, once upon a time, forces unseen plotting in the game's shadows, their motivations only visible to the wary. His comments in Gamesradar.uk seem to expose what he had hitherto only hinted at:
"However, the Prophets were originally around in Halo 1, but we ended up taking that part of the story and moving it into the background. If you use your imagination, you can spot where they were and what they were doing during Halo, and we'll probably reveal more in Halo 2."
The wording is so very similar; he seems to simply fill in the blanks. Mystery solved?
-Finn
Although already documented elsewhere, it is worth noting for posterity's sake that Littlebigman noticed an update on the Internet Movie Database which listed not only Halo 2 (as a video game, don't get in a knot), but more specifically a character called the "Prophet of Regret". The page has since been removed as, according to Marty O'Donnell, someone goofed putting that up. The plot thickens...
(Or as littlebigman added later, "that name [Regret] sounds french, something tells me someone who had the leaked French Version put that up. Grief was probably a mistranslation of "Regret". Hmm...")
-Finn
Mercy, Truth, and Regret? Hrmph. Well, they aren't much of an example to others...
Grady points out the apparent irony of the known Prophets' names.
-Finn
Of Minor Prophets and their...
Anyone with the "Conversations..." booklet included with the Limited Edition is no doubt familiar with the letter from a Prophet of Supposition. But how many of us are familiar with Pity or Disdain? Mirel sifted through the Halo 2 pre-release items and came across this.
In addition, littlebigman (littlebigman174@comcast.net), our Internet Movie Database watchdog, sent us a note a while back when their Halo 2 page was updated with a mention of a "Prophet of Grief", supposedly voiced by a Javier Robles. It could be nothing, but the IMDB did err in our favour once before...
-Finn
What were Truth's motives in Halo 2? Replay suggests that everyone's favourite Prophet really wanted to go on that Great Journey, but could it have been something more sinister? Go join the discussion.
writes:
-Jillybean
pile o nades has got a few thoughts on just why and how the Prophets' sweet rides (ie. chairs/thrones) work the way they do. Neato.
-Finn
Mercy's Dying Words
Michael (mike.gronowski@gmail.com) writes:
Something always struck me as odd about the Prophet of Mercy's dying words in the cutscene at the beginning of High Charity. He says the Covenant are heading to Earth, "to finish what we started...and this time none of you will be left behind." At first, I thought this simply meant that they were heading to Earth to complete the destruction of humanity, but lately I've been thinking that he means something else.
The wording just doesn't seem to imply our destruction, at least by a Covenant fleet. The phrase "none of you shall be left behind" is the same wording as the Covenant use when talking about the Great Journey. For example, at the end of the Heretic cutscene, Truth says to the (soon to be) Arbiter, "Soon the Great Journey shall begin. But when it does, the weight of your heresy will stay your feet and you shall be left behind."
Does this mean that the Prophets plan on inviting humanity along for the Great Journey? Yes and no. I think it's been fairly clearly established that Truth (and probably Mercy) didn't really believe in the Covenant religion, and have some plans of their own (Truth lets Mercy die because he knows too much, or something to that effect [Regret's demise could also have occurred under similar sentiments]). The Prophets absolutely despise humanity (for reasons unknown except to themselves) and would not be interested in letting them into "the Divine Beyond". The Prophets know what the Halos do and are willing to use them to get rid of humanity.
Here's where it gets crazy. What if "to finish what we started" is a reference to the first activation of the Halos over 100,000 years ago? Could a Prophet/Human (civil?) war have led to this? Remember that the 343 Guilty Spark was glad to see that some of us "survived to reproduce" in the Library...what if the Prophets messed up last time and some humans escaped the activation (by using the Ark?), but "THIS time" none of us will make it. A 100,000 year-old grudge would certainly explain why the Prophets hate us so much.
So, Covenant religion just a cover for the Prophets to hunt down the remnants of humanity that survived the rings' activation? How do the Flood fit into this? Speculate/shoot down away.Excellent. No matter what the details of it turn out to be (whether it be a war gone by, revenge for eradicating their species at the same time as the Flood, a past subjugation, etc.), the fact that the Prophets have kept their motivations for the Human Campaign to themselves is not only mysteriously eery, but also a strong implication of a conspiracy of sorts. "100 000 Year's War" indeed.
UPDATE: Wado SG slightly refines and adds to the idea.
-Finn
Got time? Try this lengthy post by mrbananas, discussing the Prophets: their individual motives, their actual knowledge of the Great Journey, and what it means that "this time, none of you will be left behind".
A great thread on the whole. All I know for certain is that Mercy is a little too vindictive, Regret not a tad unremorseful, and Truth... well he's wearing a robe 'cuz his pants are on fire. Check it out.
-Finn
Under our very noses! An old in-game sound clip from Halo 2 (by the Prophet of Regret) sheds the only direct light we have on the Covenant motives for eradicating humanity:
"Most of those we encountered on our search were compelled to join our union, to take part in a movement that promised freedom for allegiance, salvation for service! But some, like the humans, chose to impede our progress, block our access to sacred sites, damage holy relics! For their transgressions, the humans shall be hunted until none remain alive!
"
Blocked access? Sounds like an ONI cover-up to me!
("Most..."? Who were the other races?)
-Finn
He is well paid that is well satisfied.
An interesting discussion, primary between speculation-addict Bodie and the ever-edifying Narcogen of rampancy.net, has come up on the forum. The focus is primarily on the true motives behind both the Great Journey itself and Truth's own jaunt to Earth, but wanders here and there, nuzzling larger issues from slumber, such as what would make a satisfying conclusion to this tale of betrayal and revelation.
-Finn
Sino-Prophet Relations (id est, Chinese)
This connection seems a little vague but, if true, it's all the more a testament to the keen senses of Walshicus ;)
-Finn
I enjoy keen observations. I enjoy them all the more when they are somewhat risky, yet coherent and with that slight hint of the probable.
On the forum, Robert-117 took a rather controversial snippet from the "Making of Halo 3" documentary and wondered anew.
Robert-117 (robert.lacayo@gmail.com) writes:
okay, so everyone remembers the Halo 3 mini-documentary, right? If I recall correctly, at one point during the video, they showed a screen with a trio of covenant troops. Now some have speculated that they might be jackals, brutes, drones, and even grunts in diffrent armor. But what if they're Prophets? Before the formation of the Covenant, Prophets were soldiers who were fighting against the Elites at the time, obviously after the formation of the Covenant, the Prophets set aside their arms so to speak to take their roles as the leaders of the Covenant. But now think about this, the Covenant are now short three species, elites, grunts, and hunters, so it could be possible that the prophets have now taken up arms themselves to aide the brutes, jackals, and drones...
if so, I don't think anyone has anything to worry about, they're probably as fragile as they look, even with armor..Well, the Prophets did apparently put up something of a fight.
The neck looks a little short, and the trunk and limbs a little stout, but I think you're definitely on to a good idea :)
-Finn
Truth's Highway to Hell ::rock ensues::
IceWeasel writes:
I was playing the level Gravemind yesterday, and the prophet of Truth said something I have always heard before (i only paid attention to it like... two or three times), but it didn't quite†strike me†until now.†
He said:
"Creatures of the Covenant! The path is broad, and†we shall walk it side by side. "
The path to what, Prophet of Truth? Why, the Great Journey of course! And what does the "Great Journey" yield? That's right, destruction!
Matthew 7:13 NLT
"You can enter God's Kingdom only through the narrow gate. *The highway to hell (see italicised footnote)* is broad, and its gate is wide for the many who choose the easy way."
7:13 Greek *The way that leads to destruction*.
So Truth is leading the galaxy down the path to destruction... I'm not too surprised."Small is the gate and narrow is the path that leads to life, and few find it...
Beware of false prophets, who come to you dressed as sheep, but inside they are devouring wolves."
Wow. I find it hard to stop reading that section (for a number of reasons). Good eye :)
-Finn
The Prophet of Joyride
Dielectric noticed the rather specific nature of the name and description for the figurine of the Prophet of Mercy over at Joyride:
"The venerable Hod Rumnt was elected to the Covenant High Council before either the Prophets of Truth or Regret were born. His tenure has been marked by several tense debates with Elite High Councilors over the proper dispensation of Forerunner artifacts. Mercy is considered one of the last of the Old Guard - a hard-liner who has publicly questioned the wisdom of the Prophets' demilitarization at the close of the Prophet-Elite war."
Socrates muses (as did I) if the existence of these "hard-liners" implies a Covenant not nearly as old as we originally thought.
And with the seemingly recent demilitarization, combined with a recent HSP submission on the the combat status of the Prophets, Ace Heart wonders if that is all about to change...
-Finn
stick (stickbranch@gmail.com) writes:
We know that Truth wanted Mercy dead, and that Regret was killed by the Master Chief. But did they fire at the temple because they knew Master Chief was there or did they fire on the temple because Truth ordered Regret to be killed? They would not have been given enough notice to get to MC's position, so I presume that they were ordered there to kill regret. This raises the question, why does Truth want the other prophet's dead? He also dispatched of the Elites and Grunts as well. And maybe he was looking for an excuse?
I've always thought the Chief was attacked pretty quickly - but I always thought about Marx . . . or was it Trotsky? Would the Covenant willingly kill one of their own Prophets? Was the Chief merely an excuse to make sure Regret was dead? Smells like radiation poisoning to me.
-Jillybean
The Prophets' homeworld
Hnc asked an interesting question on our forum. Why did the Prophets claim that their homeworld was destroyed? Does the divide between the two sides that sparked the Prophet Civil War still exist? Do the Prophets that moved on to create the Covenant have something to hide?
There could be a number of reasons for them to hide this fact, one of them being their position within the Covenant. Contact Harvest, I believe, explains how the homeworld was destroyed by blowing a chunk out of the planet.
Head on to the forum and watch the thread for more information.
writes:
-UNSC Trooper
The Great Journey ... a hoax?
Scarab posted a series of very explicit questions on our forum today. The Great Journey appears to be what the Prophets believed in with (almost) their entire dedication. Or is there more to it? Did they lie about their wish to achieve trans-sentience and become gods like the Forerunners did?
All of these questions and a lot more are asked in the thread, along with a slight inconsistency from Halo: Contact Harvest. If you feel up to it, and you trust your Halo knowledge, head on to the forums and try your luck at answering the questions.
writes:
-UNSC Trooper
