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Although innovation is not one of the Covenant's strong suits, the Covenant has shown considerable advancement in bridging the technological gap with newly-encountered species. For example, in the first encounter of the Human-Covenant War, the Covenant learned of the humans' computer systems and of its language from salvaging human computer and network components from destroyed human ships.<ref name="copyme"/> This knowledge benefited the Covenant greatly in understanding the humans' military operation, to the extent that the UNSC enacted the [[Cole Protocol]] to deter the Covenant from finding human [[Human colonies|colony worlds]] and [[Earth]]. In another scenario, during the preliminary of the [[Fall of Reach]], the Covenant crippled [[Reach]]'s telecommunication network to prevent the colony world from contacting reinforcements and placed numerous [[Covenant spire|teleportation spires]] to deploy its forces without having to face directly with the planet's orbital defenses.<ref name="Reachgame">''Halo: Reach''</ref> | Although innovation is not one of the Covenant's strong suits, the Covenant has shown considerable advancement in bridging the technological gap with newly-encountered species. For example, in the first encounter of the Human-Covenant War, the Covenant learned of the humans' computer systems and of its language from salvaging human computer and network components from destroyed human ships.<ref name="copyme"/> This knowledge benefited the Covenant greatly in understanding the humans' military operation, to the extent that the UNSC enacted the [[Cole Protocol]] to deter the Covenant from finding human [[Human colonies|colony worlds]] and [[Earth]]. In another scenario, during the preliminary of the [[Fall of Reach]], the Covenant crippled [[Reach]]'s telecommunication network to prevent the colony world from contacting reinforcements and placed numerous [[Covenant spire|teleportation spires]] to deploy its forces without having to face directly with the planet's orbital defenses.<ref name="Reachgame">''Halo: Reach''</ref> | ||
In Covenant culture, there are religious taboos that prevent them from fully exploring what the Forerunners employed to create that technology.<ref name="ency224">'''[[Halo Encyclopedia]]''' ''page 224''</ref> In some cases, Covenant technology imitates the effects of the Forerunner technology it is based on while the underlying science remains largely beyond their grasp. An example of this is the Covenant's predominant use of [[plasma]] in their weapons rather than the more exotic [[hard light]] and particle streams utilized by the Forerunners,<ref name="EVGplasma">'''[[Halo 4: The Essential Visual Guide]]''', ''page 103''</ref> or the Covenant's [[pinch fusion reactor]]s in contrast to the Forerunners' ability to harness [[vacuum energy]]. The Covenant also never developed advanced [[Artificial intelligence|AI]] technology due to their religious doctrine; they believed that a [[Associated intelligence|powerful AI]] had once betrayed the Forerunners, and as such they had a ban on actually sapient machine intelligences. The few Covenant AIs that have been encountered include | In Covenant culture, there are religious taboos that prevent them from fully exploring what the Forerunners employed to create that technology.<ref name="ency224">'''[[Halo Encyclopedia]]''' ''page 224''</ref> In some cases, Covenant technology imitates the effects of the Forerunner technology it is based on while the underlying science remains largely beyond their grasp. An example of this is the Covenant's predominant use of [[plasma]] in their weapons rather than the more exotic [[hard light]] and particle streams utilized by the Forerunners,<ref name="EVGplasma">'''[[Halo 4: The Essential Visual Guide]]''', ''page 103''</ref> or the Covenant's [[pinch fusion reactor]]s in contrast to the Forerunners' ability to harness [[vacuum energy]]. The Covenant also never developed advanced [[Artificial intelligence|AI]] technology due to their religious doctrine; they believed that a [[Associated intelligence|powerful AI]] had once betrayed the Forerunners, and as such they had a ban on actually sapient machine intelligences. The few Covenant AIs that have been encountered include [[Ascendant Justice's AI|an AI]] that was stationed aboard the ''[[Ascendant Justice]]'' and destroyed by [[Cortana]],<ref>'''[[Halo: First Strike]]''' ''''page 170''</ref> [[Truth and Reconciliation's AI|one]] based on the ''[[Truth and Reconciliation]]'', as well as the [[Seeker (AI)|Seeker]], sent to infiltrate UNSC systems and alert the Covenant to the location of Earth. Cortana's copy also referenced several AIs being present in the ''[[Unyielding Hierophant]]''<nowiki>'</nowiki>s systems when the Spartans infiltrated the station.<ref>'''[[Halo: First Strike]]''' ''page 320''</ref> | ||
The Forerunners' ubiquitous [[hard light]] technology was never completely understood by the Covenant,<ref name="wages">'''[[Halo: Evolutions - Essential Tales of the Halo Universe]] Volume II''', ''"[[Wages of Sin]]"'', ''page 291''</ref> although they managed to develop at least one hard light-based device in the [[Prelate]]s' shield gauntlets.<ref name="Shadow of Intent">'''[[Halo: Shadow of Intent]]''', ''page ??''</ref> However, they did possess advanced energy field shaping and complex [[holography]]. This technology was advanced enough to produce realistic and tangible simulacra of physical objects. The [[holo-drone]], for example, generates an independent decoy of the operator capable of inflicting physical harm on the enemy despite its incorporeal nature;<ref>'''Halo 2''', campaign level ''[[The Oracle]]''</ref> the [[Type-27 hologram|T-27 holographic decoy]] is a more basic variation of this concept. The Covenant applied forcefield technology in a broad range of roles, from the San'Shyuum's spherical [[stasis field]]s to contain beverages such as tea<ref>'''Halo: Contact Harvest''', ''page 154''</ref> to the enormous [[Energy barrier|fields]] used to hold in ''High Charity''<nowiki>'</nowiki>s atmosphere while the holy city's exterior dome was still under construction.<ref>'''Halo: Broken Circle''', ''page 20''</ref><ref>'''Halo 2: Anniversary''', ''[[Terminal/Halo 2: Anniversary|Terminal 8]]''</ref> | The Forerunners' ubiquitous [[hard light]] technology was never completely understood by the Covenant,<ref name="wages">'''[[Halo: Evolutions - Essential Tales of the Halo Universe]] Volume II''', ''"[[Wages of Sin]]"'', ''page 291''</ref> although they managed to develop at least one hard light-based device in the [[Prelate]]s' shield gauntlets.<ref name="Shadow of Intent">'''[[Halo: Shadow of Intent]]''', ''page ??''</ref> However, they did possess advanced energy field shaping and complex [[holography]]. This technology was advanced enough to produce realistic and tangible simulacra of physical objects. The [[holo-drone]], for example, generates an independent decoy of the operator capable of inflicting physical harm on the enemy despite its incorporeal nature;<ref>'''Halo 2''', campaign level ''[[The Oracle]]''</ref> the [[Type-27 hologram|T-27 holographic decoy]] is a more basic variation of this concept. The Covenant applied forcefield technology in a broad range of roles, from the San'Shyuum's spherical [[stasis field]]s to contain beverages such as tea<ref>'''Halo: Contact Harvest''', ''page 154''</ref> to the enormous [[Energy barrier|fields]] used to hold in ''High Charity''<nowiki>'</nowiki>s atmosphere while the holy city's exterior dome was still under construction.<ref>'''Halo: Broken Circle''', ''page 20''</ref><ref>'''Halo 2: Anniversary''', ''[[Terminal/Halo 2: Anniversary|Terminal 8]]''</ref> | ||