Forum:Forward Unto Dawn Impressions

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Part 1

Good start to the series in my opinion. Any guesses on what that was in the sky at the end of the episode? File:Colonel Grade One.pngCol. Snipes450File:Colonel Grade One.png 11:31, 5 October 2012 (EDT)

-Maybe an Orbital insertion pod. If it's not that, I got nothing. User:Yoonhyuk-740

A Covenant intelligence-gathering ship, hinted by the hacking of the UNSC computer. — subtank 11:37, 5 October 2012 (EDT)

Good start to the series. Can't wait for Part 2!--Spartacus, Halopedia Administrator ^Talk 11:55, 5 October 2012 (EDT)

I haven't even watched it yet and I saw 4.5 million views w/ 44,000 likes/1,400 dislikes! Imagine the release of Halo 4. Forget $200 million in sales, more like $400 million...I'll give my opinion after I watch it.--Killamint [Comm|Files] 12:25, 5 October 2012 (EDT)

My bad, I was looking at the wrong video.--Killamint [Comm|Files] 12:38, 5 October 2012 (EDT)

It looks alright, much better than I expected. Its a shame poor Junjie was the victim of stereotypes. I got a couple of screenshots of the symbols, but I'm not sure about licensing to upload them. They don't match the halo2.com cipher anyways.. Still looking forward to part 2 though! :D --TentacleTornado 14:36, 5 October 2012 (EDT)

I knew learning Mandarin/Chinese would be a bonus some point in my life! Junjie's father sounded like a Malaysian speaking Chinese though. —S331 _{(COM • Mission Log • Profile)} 17:41, 5 October 2012 (EDT)

Finally saw it, looks great, definitely has that "movie" feel to it.--Killamint [Comm|Files] 19:42, 5 October 2012 (EDT)

Cadmon Lasky

I have a theory about Mama Lasky's boys: Thomas is questioning the wisdom of the UNSC's stance on the Insurrectionists because his brother was killed by them on Jericho VII (possibly in some sort of ambush or as a result of faulty intel) I'm guessing that it happened in late-2525/early-2526 right around the time the SPARTAN 2s were sent in. I believe that, as a result of this incident, he blames the UNSC as much as the Insurrection for his brother's death. It makes sense because of the way he bristles at being called an "Innie Lover", yet makes no secret of his feelings regarding the UNSC's policies toward the Insurrectionists. According to Vickers, he was apparently a squad leader at one point, but had since fallen out of favor. The video has set out to show that he has a talent for strategy & tactics (he timed their rendezvous with the rest of the squad down to the second & he's apparently quite good at chess), so it makes sense that, if his brother had been killed, he would look beyond the obvious ("The Innies killed my brother, so it's all their fault") causes & look at the larger picture ("Why did Cadmon die on Jericho VII in the first place"?) It would definitely explain his motivations in questioning Vickers' orders during the training exercise. It would also explain why he was so paranoid about someone else seeing him watching the video mail from his brother. In fact, I am making a prediction: The Chief will mention to Tom that he met Cadmon on Jericho VII, and was impressed by his bravery/skill/ingenuity/etc. This exposition will occur at a dramatically appropriate point in the series & will provide the motivational spark that lights a fire under Tom to become the soldier he's meant to be. DJenser 14:58, 5 October 2012 (EDT)

From what I remember, ODSTs were deployed to the Academy to fight the Covenant. ODST? Cadmon Lasky? Deaths? Inspired? Thomas Lasky? —S331 _{(COM • Mission Log • Profile)} 17:41, 5 October 2012 (EDT)

@S331: To paraphrase my theory: Thomas Lasky has (possibly had) a brother named Cadmon Lasky who had previously graduated the Corbulo Academy of Military Science. What we know at this point is that, upon graduation, he served in the UNSC Marines as an ODST and was deployed on Jericho VII for 131 days some time in, or before, 2526. My theory is that Cadmon (remember, that's Thomas's brother) was killed at some point during his deployment on Jericho VII. I believe this incident caused Thomas to question the UNSC's reason for perpetuating the war with the Insurrectionists when diplomacy might have been more effective.

So let's now recap and address your questions:

1) Q:ODST? A: Stands for "Orbital Drop Shock Trooper"; Deployed to the academy (along with 3 SPARTANs) to assist with the defense & evacuation of the students & personnel in 2526. Some ODSTs graduated the academy prior to serving, which brings us to...

2) Q:Cadmon Lasky? A: An ODST and graduate of the aforementioned academy, as well as the brother of Thomas Lasky (see question 5). He was deployed to Jericho VII at some point during Thomas' first year in the academy.

3) Q:Deaths? A: A staple of storytelling, the death of one close to the Hero is often a motivator for or against a course of action. In this case, I believe that a death (the death of his brother Cadmon) has caused Thomas to question the UNSC's policy regarding the Insurrection in general, and, specifically, the part that he himself is to play in it.

40 Q:Inspired? A: The synopsis for the Halo 4: Forward Unto Dawn series states that the Master Chief inspired Thomas Lasky to become the soldier the UNSC needed him to be. My theory is that the Chief (at some point during the series) tells Thomas of how he had met Tom's brother on Jericho VII, and how that meeting had had some sort of a profound impact on the Chief. I believe that this will be the final bit of inspiration Thomas needs to become the hero he is meant to be.

5) Q:Thomas Lasky? A: I don't know how to answer this one... If you don't know who that is, you really should watch the videos before asking these questions. Just sayin'...DJenser 13:30, 8 October 2012 (EDT)

I actually agree with your theory DJenser. However, I have a slight alternative theory; Cadmon isn't dead, and he's one of the ODSTs deployed to Circinius IV when the Covenant attack. During the attack, he dies and Thomas is distraught. And the Chief tells him how there are always casualties in war and how one can honor his/her dead loved ones by fighting harder AND tells him he met Cadmon on Jericho VIII and how he was impressed by his bravery/skill/ingenuity/etc. NOW Tom gets the motivation/inspiration he needed and fights back. Do you think this could happen as well? User:Yoonhyuk-740 8:52PM, October 8th, 2012 (Eastern)

That's the thing about theorizing potential plotlines early on in a series... They can (and often do) still go in any direction, and usually not the one you think. Yeah, it's a perfectly plausible alternative theory at this point. Another one could be that his brother's a quadroplegic or a vegetable in a UNSC hospital somewhere... Or that he fell in love with a nice Insurrectionist girl and deserted his post (of course, that one has already been done.). The field is still wide open at this point. DJenser 08:23, 9 October 2012 (EDT)

@DJenser: Words cannot describe how I'm feeling. But it's not your fault. I blame it on my communication skills. Those "questions" were rhetorical questions. What I meant was: "ODSTs were deployed to the academy. Since Cadmon Lasky was an ODST, he might have been part of the ODSTs deployed to the academy. Cadmon's possible Death may have inspired Thomas Lasky." Basically, what I meant was what our good friend Yoonhyik-740 just posted. —S331 _{(COM • Mission Log • Profile)} 08:44, 9 October 2012 (EDT)

@S331: That's my fault. I interpreted your reply as something else entirely. The impersonal nature of the internet makes it difficult to gauge one's intents, and all too often the anonymity it provides is used as a license to troll. I guess I mistook your brevity for sarcasm. No harm, no foul. When you explain it that way, it makes a lot more sense and, given that you're not the only one who foresaw that particular scenario, you might be on to something there. ...Which is the whole reason for my post... I wanted to spark a discussion about which directions people saw this series going, based upon what we've seen thus far. I find it fascinating how closely some people come to guessing what the writer(s) had in mind and, sometimes, the ideas that pop up during these discussions turn out to be even better ones than what ends up making it into the video.

Corbulo Academy

Does anyone else find it ironic that this story takes place at an academy named after a general who unquestioningly committed suicide on the orders of emperor Nero, who is widely considered to be one of the most tyrannical rulers in the history of the Roman Empire? DJenser 15:49, 5 October 2012 (EDT)

The whole "most tyrannical ruler" thing is something of a myth.--The All-knowing Sith'ari 16:52, 5 October 2012 (EDT)

Not so much a myth as a divergence of theories based upon the opinions of those that were either in support of, or opposed to, the policies of Emperor Nero, both during and in the years after his reign. Dissenting viewpoints notwithstanding, the general consensus of those theories indicates that he was a tyrant, particularly to the upper echelons of Roman society, whom he saw as a threat to his power. This is the same Nero that had his own mother executed, then publicly ruled it a suicide, something which is not a myth, but a matter of historic record set down in the Annals. In addition to this, Corbulo was ordered by a paranoid Nero to fall on his sword due to circumstantial evidence stemming from a failed coup attempt in which a member of the general's extended family had taken part, with no real evidence implicating Corbulo himself. I think that, myth or not, you will agree that the analogy (and it's resultant irony) still holds true given that H4:FUD's story takes place in an academy for the children of the upper echelons of the UNSC's military elite... An environment in which the protagonist, Thomas Lasky, is expected to blindly follow orders, to his own detriment. DJenser 15:22, 8 October 2012 (EDT)

Nice one. Didn't think of that.--The All-knowing Sith'ari 11:15, 9 October 2012 (EDT)

Overuse of "Insurrectionist"

I understand that they have a canon "umbrella" name for these groups, like modern day "Insurgents", but I don't think anyone would have minded if, after the first use of the word "Insurrectionist" they switched to shorter phrases like Tangos, Rebels/Rebs, or the canonical abbreviation Innies. We use nicknames for a reason, and referring to them constantly by a five-syllable name hardly rolls off the tongue. It wasn't a huge thing, but it did bug me. -- Qura 'Morhek ^{The Autocrat of Morheka} 17:40, 5 October 2012 (EDT)

Oh, that really got on my nerves, almost as much as the stereotypes and constant 'defocusing' cameras. Like you said, there have been many a time when other names were used. Plus this would be the prime time to let loose the elusive "URF". --TentacleTornado 13:44, 8 October 2012 (EDT)

Which year

Ok i may sound retarded but after watching the whole episode and by doing some research for a while i still try to guess in with years the first episode take place i mean on corbulo page it said that cadet are from different class. Does that mean that the episode that place after 2529? or the year is 2525? CF⁰⁰¹ 17:41, 8 October 2012 (EDT)

The series is set in 2526. The cadets belong to the class of 2529 because that's when they're supposed to graduate. --Courage never dies. 17:44, 8 October 2012 (EDT)

Thank but i find strange that nobody care about the H-C war? They are only talking about insurrectionists. CF⁰⁰¹ 17:50, 8 October 2012 (EDT)

Communication is pretty slow, considering that it took until September 2525 for the UNSC to learn the fate of Harvest, even though it had been glassed between February and March.--Spartacus, Halopedia Administrator ^Talk 17:53, 8 October 2012 (EDT)

I'd guess that information on the Covenant was probably still classified or at the very least simply not publicized very widely. I don't really know this so if anyone can confirm it that would be awesome. Weeping Angel 17:57, 8 October 2012 (EDT)

I believe First Contact occurred in 2525. DJenser 18:53, 8 October 2012 (EDT)

According to Halo: Contact Harvest, Our very first contact with the Covenant came in the form of a long-range scan on 02/03/2525. Actual formal contact came 8 days later on 02/11/2525. 11 days after that, the War officially began as the Colonial Militia evacuated Harvest while the Covenant glassed it, making it the first casualty in the war. The UNSC officially went on alert in November of that year. On March 1st, 2526, Adm. Cole's fleet returned to Harvest. The WINTER CONTINGENCY protocol was first enacted on 03/10/2526. If we use the date on the newsfeed Chyler Silva was reading as a reference(04/02/2526), this would put the events in H4:FUD about a month or so after the UNSC began enacting emergency measures under WINTER CONTINGENCY, which would fit in line with that brief scene (11:05) where Gen. Black was deploying marines to various parts of the campus. DJenser 09:24, 9 October 2012 (EDT)

Reason why everyone in Corbulo was talking about innies and not Covenant was because the Covenant's existence was still classified. Sully is on the verge on finding out. —S331 _{(COM • Mission Log • Profile)} 09:43, 9 October 2012 (EDT)

Further research indicates that the Battle of Chi Ceti took place on 11/27/2525, though it was a very small engagement consisting of 3 SPARTANs in brand-new Mark IV armor infiltrating and destroying a single Covenant vessel, so it was probably covered up quite effectively. On 02/13/2526, the Battle of Bliss took place. Interestingly enough, an ISN news printout (I think it's from Halsey's journal) was supposedly posted on 04/06/2526 (4 days after the newsfeed that Chyler was scanning), reporting on the aftermath of this battle. It mentioned the first Harvest campaign as well, which would seem to indicate that the war should have been public knowledge by this point... My guess is that any and all information coming into the academy is heavily filtered before being posted, which would make sense in an environment like that. Though, as S331 pointed out, not filtered well enough to keep Sully from piecing the clues together from the redacted feeds... DJenser 09:53, 9 October 2012 (EDT)