Real World

Halo Living Monument

From Halopedia, the Halo wiki

The commander, dedicating the living monument.

Halo Living Monument is a viral site that commemorates the tenth anniversary of the Halo franchise and the release of Halo: Combat Evolved Anniversary. On the site, players are able to upload their own photo to a mosaic of John-117,[1] similar to the monument to NOBLE Team that was used to promote Halo: Reach. A live-action short was released on Halo Waypoint following the opening of the viral site.

Transcript[edit]

A speech is heard as a uniformed man walks down a corridor, an M6 sidearm holstered on his waist. The insignia on his arm denotes the rank of Commander.

  • Commander (echo): "In war...the first thing lost is time."

A large chamber is shown with UNSC insignia decorating the wall; a tall dais with a podium stands at the front of the amphitheater. A video screen behind the dais also displays the UNSC ensign. A crowd of servicemen and servicewomen are seen standing at ease. Meanwhile, the commander is walking down the corridor.

  • Commander (echo): "The hours become days. The days, years. And the years turn into decades."

The commander straightens his uniform and puts on his peaked cap. The scene then cuts to the hall, where he begins his speech. The video screen starts displaying footage of the war, beginning with Spartan John-117 at the Battle of Kenya.

  • Commander (echo): "Some of us can't remember a time before the Covenant. War is all we know,"

The servicemen and servicewomen come to attention and salute the commander, who returns their salute.

  • Commander (echo): "And in our ongoing conflict, we've lost more than our sense of time..."

The commander now says the rest of the speech in real-time. The screen continues to show footage of John-117, as well as Marines engaged in the Harvest Campaign and Sergeant John Forge fighting Arbiter Ripa 'Moramee at Trove. The screen also begins to list the names of servicemen killed in the war, presumably posthumous recipients of the Legion of Honor.

  • Commander: ...we've lost loved ones, planets, and entire civilizations. To think there was once a time of peace is almost unimaginable. But we were courageous; we fought back. In our battle for humanity we have lost so much, but we've been given heroes - heroes who fought tirelessly to defend us: at Harvest; at Reach; at New Mombasa... Brave soldiers who sacrificed everything to eliminate the Flood. They didn't fight for glory. Nonetheless, it's there for all to see.

The commander looks up at the screen. The screen lists planets glassed by the Covenant and ships that were lost with all hands, including Spirit of Fire, Constantinople, and Virginia Capes. It continues to list the names of apparent Legion of Honor recipients, including Jacob Keyes and Avery J. Johnson.

  • Commander: "Today, we launch the Living Monument. To those who continue to fight and asked for nothing in return: War takes. But it leaves us with legends; it leaves us with heroes - and heroes never die!"

Trivia[edit]

The footage shown during the ceremony includes scenes from the Halo 3 announcement trailer, Halo 3, Halo Wars, and the Keep It Clean trailer.

Sources[edit]