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{{Quote|We are Forerunners, guardians of all that exists. The roots of the galaxy have grown deep under our careful tending. Where there is life, the wisdom of our countless generations has saturated the soil. Our strength is a luminous sun towards which all intelligence blossoms. And the impervious shelter beneath which it has prospered.|The [[Ur-Didact]], giving a speech on the purpose of the [[Mantle]].}} | {{Quote|We are Forerunners, guardians of all that exists. The roots of the galaxy have grown deep under our careful tending. Where there is life, the wisdom of our countless generations has saturated the soil. Our strength is a luminous sun towards which all intelligence blossoms. And the impervious shelter beneath which it has prospered.|The [[Ur-Didact]], giving a speech on the purpose of the [[Mantle]].}} | ||
The '''Forerunners''' (Latin ''Primoris prognatus'', meaning "Firstborn")<ref name="waypoint forerunner">[https://www.halowaypoint.com/en-us/universe/species/forerunners '''Halo Waypoint - Universe''': ''Forerunners'']</ref> were an ancient species of [[Technological Achievement Tiers#Tier 1: World Builders|technologically advanced]] beings whose empire—known as the [[ecumene]]—encompassed three million fertile worlds in the [[Milky Way|Milky Way Galaxy]].<ref name="cryptum">'''Halo: Cryptum''', ''page 9''</ref> The Forerunners reigned for millennia as the ascendant civilization in the galaxy until the activation of the [[Halo Array]], their Pyrrhic solution to halt the [[Flood]], in [[ | The '''Forerunners''' (Latin ''Primoris prognatus'', meaning "Firstborn")<ref name="waypoint forerunner">[https://www.halowaypoint.com/en-us/universe/species/forerunners '''Halo Waypoint - Universe''': ''Forerunners'']</ref> were an ancient species of [[Technological Achievement Tiers#Tier 1: World Builders|technologically advanced]] beings whose empire—known as the [[ecumene]]—encompassed three million fertile worlds in the [[Milky Way|Milky Way Galaxy]].<ref name="cryptum">'''Halo: Cryptum''', ''page 9''</ref> The Forerunners reigned for millennia as the ascendant civilization in the galaxy until the [[Great Purification|activation]] of the [[Halo Array]], their Pyrrhic solution to halt the [[Flood]], in [[97,445 BCE]]. Although they themselves are essentially extinct, evidence of their existence remained, spread across the galaxy in the form of numerous creations, installations and artifacts. | ||
The Forerunners took upon themselves the role of caretakers of the galaxy, and believed that this "[[Mantle]]" had been passed down to them by the [[Precursor]]s, an even more powerful race that preceded the Forerunner civilization.<ref>'''Halo: Cryptum''', ''Epilogue''</ref> "Forerunner" is a literal translation of the species' name for themselves; they identified themselves as such because they believed that they held an impermanent place in the universe's [[Living Time]], though, in time, they too would be succeeded by other, superior races.<ref> '''Halo: Cryptum''', ''page 31''</ref> Before their disappearance from the galaxy, the Forerunners would name [[human]]ity their successors, identifying them with the title "[[Reclaimer]]". | The Forerunners took upon themselves the role of caretakers of the galaxy, and believed that this "[[Mantle]]" had been passed down to them by the [[Precursor]]s, an even more powerful race that preceded the Forerunner civilization.<ref>'''Halo: Cryptum''', ''Epilogue''</ref> "Forerunner" is a literal translation of the species' name for themselves; they identified themselves as such because they believed that they held an impermanent place in the universe's [[Living Time]], though, in time, they too would be succeeded by other, superior races.<ref> '''Halo: Cryptum''', ''page 31''</ref> Before their disappearance from the galaxy, the Forerunners would name [[human]]ity their successors, identifying them with the title "[[Reclaimer]]". | ||
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The Forerunners, led by the then-dominant [[rate]] of [[Warrior-Servant|Warriors]], began their thorough campaign of extermination in the Milky Way galaxy and later chased the last Precursors down to the [[Magellanic Clouds|satellite galaxy]] of [[Path Kethona]]. There, they would finish their work, eradicating all but a few Precursors who managed to elude them. However, some Forerunners began to question the ethics of the genocide and refused to take part; many were summarily executed, while others were exiled on a barren planet in Path Kethona without any advanced technology. [[Path Kethona Forerunner|This population]] would survive for millions of years, preserving the knowledge of their origins in a biological reservoir of ancestral memory. However, they would remain as the last survivors of the fleet that traveled to Path Kethona, as those who had carried out the genocide until the end never returned to the Milky Way.<ref>'''Halo: Silentium''', ''Strings 10, 11, 15''</ref> | The Forerunners, led by the then-dominant [[rate]] of [[Warrior-Servant|Warriors]], began their thorough campaign of extermination in the Milky Way galaxy and later chased the last Precursors down to the [[Magellanic Clouds|satellite galaxy]] of [[Path Kethona]]. There, they would finish their work, eradicating all but a few Precursors who managed to elude them. However, some Forerunners began to question the ethics of the genocide and refused to take part; many were summarily executed, while others were exiled on a barren planet in Path Kethona without any advanced technology. [[Path Kethona Forerunner|This population]] would survive for millions of years, preserving the knowledge of their origins in a biological reservoir of ancestral memory. However, they would remain as the last survivors of the fleet that traveled to Path Kethona, as those who had carried out the genocide until the end never returned to the Milky Way.<ref>'''Halo: Silentium''', ''Strings 10, 11, 15''</ref> | ||
Records of this war were gradually lost to time over millions of years, and Forerunner civilization as of | Records of this war were gradually lost to time over millions of years, and Forerunner civilization as of the Forerunner-Flood war believed that the Precursors had simply disappeared after fulfilling their ultimate goal: creating the Forerunners to be their successors as holders of the Mantle.<ref>'''Halo: Cryptum''', ''page 203''</ref> For several millions of years after the annihilation of the Precursors, the truth was purposefully suppressed by those in power; there were [[Boundless|some]] who attempted to uncover the true relationship between the Forerunners and the Precursors, but they were discreetly silenced, mainly by Warriors and [[Builder]]s.<ref>'''Halo: Silentium''', ''pages 67-68''</ref> | ||
===Early history=== | ===Early history=== | ||
Over the course of their history, the Forerunners fought each other in a number of civil wars, one of which took place over half a million years before their war against the Flood. To safeguard the Orion complex—the center of the ecumene's governance—during these conflicts, the Forerunners constructed the [[Maginot Line]], an immense array of [[Line installation|defensive installations]] spread out in a sphere which completely surrounded the Orion complex. This defense was meant to repel any possible enemy incursion, but it eventually proved vulnerable against an unconventional attack.<ref name="jatkrula">'''Halo: Silentium''', ''pages 104-105''</ref> During the civil wars, the [[Builder]] rate first rose to supremacy and initiated a cultural purge of the other rates, such as Warriors and [[Miner]]s, which involved the suppression of their ancient rituals.<ref>'''Halo: Silentium''', ''page 119''</ref> | Over the course of their history, the Forerunners fought each other in a number of civil wars, one of which took place over half a million years before their war against the Flood. To safeguard the Orion complex—the center of the ecumene's governance—during these conflicts, the Forerunners constructed the [[Maginot Line]], an immense array of [[Line installation|defensive installations]] spread out in a sphere which completely surrounded the Orion complex. This defense was meant to repel any possible enemy incursion, but it eventually proved vulnerable against an unconventional attack.<ref name="jatkrula">'''Halo: Silentium''', ''pages 104-105''</ref> During the civil wars, the [[Builder]] rate first rose to supremacy and initiated a cultural purge of the other rates, such as Warriors and [[Miner]]s, which involved the suppression of their ancient rituals.<ref>'''Halo: Silentium''', ''page 119''</ref> | ||
The Forerunner civilization had cemented its place as the preeminent civilization in the galaxy by roughly [[150,000 BCE]],<ref>'''[[Halo Encyclopedia]]''', ''page 26''</ref> around the same time [[human]]ity first began moving its [[Prehistoric human civilization|first interstellar civilization]] away from their homeworld, supposedly to escape early Forerunner control.<ref>'''Halo: Cryptum''', ''page 20''</ref> The [[Capital]], the center of the Forerunner ecumene and the seat of the [[Ecumene Council]], was constructed around [[ | The Forerunner civilization had cemented its place as the preeminent civilization in the galaxy by roughly [[150,000 BCE]],<ref>'''[[Halo Encyclopedia]]''', ''page 26''</ref> around the same time [[human]]ity first began moving its [[Prehistoric human civilization|first interstellar civilization]] away from their homeworld, supposedly to escape early Forerunner control.<ref>'''Halo: Cryptum''', ''page 20''</ref> The [[Capital]], the center of the Forerunner ecumene and the seat of the [[Ecumene Council]], was constructed around [[122,445 BCE]].<ref>'''Halo: Cryptum''', ''page 296''</ref> At some point in their history, the Forerunners fought a series of battles known as the [[Kradal conflicts]] in the galactic center.<ref>'''Halo: Silentium''', ''page 246''</ref> | ||
===War with humanity=== | ===War with humanity=== | ||
[[File:H4-Terminal-CharumHakkor-Battle.jpg|thumb|275px|Forerunner and human forces clash on [[Charum Hakkor]].]] | [[File:H4-Terminal-CharumHakkor-Battle.jpg|thumb|275px|Forerunner and human forces clash on [[Charum Hakkor]].]] | ||
{{Main|Human-Forerunner war}} | {{Main|Human-Forerunner war}} | ||
Around [[ | Around [[107,445 BCE]], the Forerunners went to [[Human-Forerunner wars|war]] with humanity's [[Prehistoric human civilization|interstellar empire]], in response to a perceived invasion of worlds where the Forerunners had relocated other species.<ref name="Cryptum 25">'''Halo: Cryptum''', ''page 25''</ref> This invasion was thought to be caused by both human resentment at Forerunner expansionism during the previous fifty years and by the rapid growth of human populations.<ref>'''Halo: Cryptum''', ''pages 112, 130''</ref> After the war, a small number of Forerunners discovered the true cause of the invasion: a desperate human migration away from an extragalactic parasite known as the [[Flood]]. Desperate for new, uninfected worlds to replace the ones lost to the Flood, humanity invaded the worlds of other civilizations, bringing them into direct conflict with the Forerunners, who saw themselves as protectors of the Mantle.<ref name="c267">'''Halo: Cryptum''', ''pages 267 - 273''</ref> | ||
The Forerunners perceived humanity's actions to be a threat to the principles of the Mantle, and therefore waged a decisive war against humans, subjugating every human-controlled world and wiping them clean of all traces of human civilization. As punishment, humanity was stripped of its empire and technology and was exiled to its homeworld, [[Earth|Erde-Tyrene]]. There, humanity was devolved, splintered among its collective species and forced to begin anew.<ref name="Cryptum 25"/><ref>'''Halo: Cryptum''', ''pages 127 and 188''</ref> The Flood, meanwhile, had been pushed beyond the edge of the galaxy by humanity's military efforts and was not seen again for nearly nine millennia.<ref name="c267"/> | The Forerunners perceived humanity's actions to be a threat to the principles of the Mantle, and therefore waged a decisive war against humans, subjugating every human-controlled world and wiping them clean of all traces of human civilization. As punishment, humanity was stripped of its empire and technology and was exiled to its homeworld, [[Earth|Erde-Tyrene]]. There, humanity was devolved, splintered among its collective species and forced to begin anew.<ref name="Cryptum 25"/><ref>'''Halo: Cryptum''', ''pages 127 and 188''</ref> The Flood, meanwhile, had been pushed beyond the edge of the galaxy by humanity's military efforts and was not seen again for nearly nine millennia.<ref name="c267"/> | ||
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===Spacecraft=== | ===Spacecraft=== | ||
{{Main|Forerunner fleet#Technology and capabilities|l1=Forerunner fleet technology}} | {{Main|Forerunner fleet#Technology and capabilities|l1=Forerunner fleet technology}} | ||
Forerunner spacecraft used special [[Slipspace flake|crystals]] embedded in their [[slipspace drive]]s to travel through slipspace. In order to move through ordinary space, they utilized [[reaction drive]]s which harnessed virtual particles as a propulsive force; however, they still required the use of onboard reaction mass.<ref name="c124">'''Halo: Cryptum''', ''page 124''</ref> The reaction drive of a mere automated cargo transport allowed travel from Edom to Erde-Tyrene, (a distance of 100 million kilometers | Forerunner spacecraft used special [[Slipspace flake|crystals]] embedded in their [[slipspace drive]]s to travel through slipspace. In order to move through ordinary space, they utilized [[reaction drive]]s which harnessed virtual particles as a propulsive force; however, they still required the use of onboard reaction mass.<ref name="c124">'''Halo: Cryptum''', ''page 124''</ref> The reaction drive of a mere automated cargo transport allowed travel from Edom to Erde-Tyrene, (a distance of 100 million kilometers at the time), within forty-eight hours; this was considered a mundane trip that did not warrant slipspace manipulation.<ref>'''Halo: Cryptum''', ''pages 19 and 20''</ref> In addition, the Forerunners created a network of [[slipspace portal]]s for high-traffic slipspace transit across the galaxy.<ref>'''Halo: Cryptum''', ''page 200''</ref> Aboard starships, limited inertial dampening was achieved through the use of buffer fields,<ref>'''Halo: Cryptum''', ''page 114''</ref> but during extreme acceleration, the occupants' armors had to be locked to the deck.<ref>'''Halo: Cryptum''', ''page 129''</ref> | ||
Forerunner warships could be enormous in scale; the most recent models of [[Fortress-class vessel]] were around a hundred kilometers in length,<ref>'''Halo: Cryptum''', ''page 312''</ref> while the [[Ur-Didact|Didact]]'s personal command vessel, ''[[Mantle's Approach]]'', was 341 kilometers in height and was even then surpassed in size by the largest Forerunner ships.<ref name="h4evg193">'''Halo 4: The Essential Visual Guide''', ''page 193''</ref> | Forerunner warships could be enormous in scale; the most recent models of [[Fortress-class vessel]] were around a hundred kilometers in length,<ref>'''Halo: Cryptum''', ''page 312''</ref> while the [[Ur-Didact|Didact]]'s personal command vessel, ''[[Mantle's Approach]]'', was 341 kilometers in height and was even then surpassed in size by the largest Forerunner ships.<ref name="h4evg193">'''Halo 4: The Essential Visual Guide''', ''page 193''</ref> | ||
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Forerunner sensors were capable of instantaneous scanning and detection across interstellar distances. As a particularly impressive example of their available sensor ranges, the Forerunners' [[core authority]] routinely tracked individual slipspace jumps across the galaxy.<ref>'''Halo: Cryptum''', ''page 136''</ref> They were also capable of viewing various alternate spaces adjoining the physical universe—including [[denial of locale]], [[natal void]], [[shunspace]], [[trick geodetics]] and a photon-only realm known as [[the Glow]]—and ascertaining events or objects in normal space through their signatures sometimes visible in these realms.<ref name="c100"/> Forerunners shipboard sensors were also highly accurate, being capable of providing a detailed analysis of a single planet's geological and ecological composition from lightyears away through the use of long-range entanglements.<ref>'''Halo: Silentium''', ''page 121''</ref> | Forerunner sensors were capable of instantaneous scanning and detection across interstellar distances. As a particularly impressive example of their available sensor ranges, the Forerunners' [[core authority]] routinely tracked individual slipspace jumps across the galaxy.<ref>'''Halo: Cryptum''', ''page 136''</ref> They were also capable of viewing various alternate spaces adjoining the physical universe—including [[denial of locale]], [[natal void]], [[shunspace]], [[trick geodetics]] and a photon-only realm known as [[the Glow]]—and ascertaining events or objects in normal space through their signatures sometimes visible in these realms.<ref name="c100"/> Forerunners shipboard sensors were also highly accurate, being capable of providing a detailed analysis of a single planet's geological and ecological composition from lightyears away through the use of long-range entanglements.<ref>'''Halo: Silentium''', ''page 121''</ref> | ||
The Forerunner government used an automated network to collate data from all technological equipment across their ecumene, from mundane devices such as a [[jetbrush]] to communications satellites and [[space station]]s; overseen by non-intelligent automatons, the system filtered unusual observations and relayed possible significant anomalies to the authorities, specifically the [[Prelate]]. Such anomalies included catastrophes or "Xenovents" - supposedly referring to contact with alien lifeforms. This is how the Forerunners first learned of the Flood's reemergence around [[ | The Forerunner government used an automated network to collate data from all technological equipment across their ecumene, from mundane devices such as a [[jetbrush]] to communications satellites and [[space station]]s; overseen by non-intelligent automatons, the system filtered unusual observations and relayed possible significant anomalies to the authorities, specifically the [[Prelate]]. Such anomalies included catastrophes or "Xenovents" - supposedly referring to contact with alien lifeforms. This is how the Forerunners first learned of the Flood's reemergence around [[97,745 BCE]].<ref>'''Halo: Evolutions - Essential Tales of the Halo Universe (Volume I)''', "Soma the Painter", ''page 10''</ref> | ||
"[[Luminary|Luminaries]]", which were originally designed to pinpoint Forerunner technology, were used to find "relics" by the Covenant. They are also capable of locating Reclaimers. A misunderstanding of a Luminary's readings led to [[First Battle of Harvest|the outbreak]] of the Human-Covenant War. | "[[Luminary|Luminaries]]", which were originally designed to pinpoint Forerunner technology, were used to find "relics" by the Covenant. They are also capable of locating Reclaimers. A misunderstanding of a Luminary's readings led to [[First Battle of Harvest|the outbreak]] of the Human-Covenant War. | ||