Editing Human-Forerunner connection

{{Title|Human-Forerunner connection}}
{{Status|RealWorld}}
[[File:H2 ArbiterEnding Storyboard 5.jpg|thumb|300px|A [[Halo 2 storyboards|storyboard]] for the cut ''[[Halo 2]]'' level [[Earth Ark]], in which [[Thel 'Vadam|the Arbiter]] discovers a human skeleton inside a Forerunner tomb - confirming the two species as one and the same.]]
{{Quote|Subtext? Wasn’t it obvious? Humans are and will always be forerunner.|[[Martin O'Donnell]] describing his view on humanity and the Forerunners.{{Ref/X|MartyTheElder|1619606460702535680|Marty O'Donnell|D=13|M=04|Y=2025}}}}
The '''Human-Forerunner connection''' exists as a primary point of the [[Halo universe|''Halo'' story]], and has gone through multiple different iterations, with the central focus of humanity [[reclaiming]] the Forerunner legacy.

For much of the original ''Halo'' trilogy, the relationship of '''[[human]]ity and the [[Forerunner]]s''' was indirectly hinted at numerous times, with an intent on the part of much of the original [[Bungie]] staff to have the two species be one and the same. However, this relationship changed around the release of ''[[Halo 3]]'' in [[2007 (real world)|2007]] thanks to the [[Iris]] ARG and the game's [[H3:Terminals|Terminals]], both of which were written largely independently of the rest of the game and explicitly defined the two as being independent offshoots of humanity that coexisted at the same time. This interpretation was then followed by [[343 Industries]] after they took over the ''Halo'' franchise from Bungie, and continued throughout their works, initially defining the two as entirely different species in ''[[The Forerunner Saga]]'' with a shared ancestry and genetics.

In modern ''Halo'' canon, humanity and the Forerunners are two distinct species descended from a common ancestor, both of whom were created by the [[Precursor]]s millions of years ago.{{Ref/Book|Enc22|Page=16}}{{Ref/X|Halo|1915808061664448747|Halo|Quote=Many millennia ago, humanity was a space-faring contemporary and rival of the Forerunners—both species having been engineered and branched from the same base stock by the enigmatic Precursors. ONI has classified these ancient humans as "Ancestors."|D=27|M=04|Y=2025}}

==Background==
===''Halo'' and ''Halo 2''===
[[File:H2 EarthArk KeithDavidVA.ogg|250px|thumb|Keith David's recorded lines for the cut final level of ''Halo 2''.]]
In the [[Development of Halo: Combat Evolved|production]] of ''[[Halo: Combat Evolved]]'' and ''[[Halo 2]]'', the intent on the part of Bungie was for humanity and the Forerunners to be the same species. This facet underpinned much of the background for the [[Human-Covenant War]]; humanity was an affront to the [[Covenant religion]] because their status as living Forerunners implied that the Great Journey (the Forerunners' ascension to godhood) had failed. This intent manifested in multiple areas, including [[John-117|Master Chief]] being referred to as a "[[Reclaimer]]", humanity having a particular affinity for Forerunner technology, and so forth.{{Ref/Site|Id=candlandhbo|URL=http://forums.bungie.org/halo/archive36.pl?read=1070818|Site=halo.bungie.org|Page=Re: Why retcons don't bother me anymore|Quote=One of the most striking retcons to me is the basic concept of whole role of humanity. Originally (back in Halo 1) the reason why humans weren't conquered and incorporated into the Covenant collective was because their presence defied Covenant religion. When the Covenant discovered humans, they knew they were forerunners, but their presence implied the "great journey" failed. They also weren't the all powerful gods they worshiped, so the Prophets wanted to "sweep them under the carpet," as it were. The plot lines in our games imply this everywhere - the chief being called reclaimer, only humans being able to retrieve and insert the index, Spark telling the chief, "you are forerunner." etc.|Quotee=David Candland|D=23|M=12|Y=2022}} Ultimately, this element was only a background aspect of ''Combat Evolved'', but was intended to play a larger part in ''[[Halo 2]]''. Storyboards drawn by [[Lee Wilson]] for a [[Cut Halo 2 levels|cut level]], "[[Earth Ark]]", showcase [[Thel 'Vadam|the Arbiter]] finding a Forerunner tomb inside a structure buried under [[New Mombasa]] on [[Earth]]. Inside the tomb is revealed to be a [[human]] skeleton, finally confirming for the Arbiter that the Covenant religion is a lie and concluding the arc that he had started at the beginning of the game when he was sent to wipe out a [[Sesa 'Refumee's heretic faction|group of heretics]] who had claimed similar things.{{Ref/Twitter|Id=Jaimeshorthistory|32nds|1619802396544348160|Jaime Griesemer|Quote=I’d say it was a big part of prepro for H1, was in the background of H1 when it shipped, was at one point going to be revealed in H2 but got tabled when we cut the ending, and then mostly abandoned in H3 because new writers thought it was too silly to hit as the BIG reveal.|D=29|M=01|Y=2023}} Dialogue recorded by the Arbiter's voice actor [[Keith David]] also expresses some of the character's shock at the reveal:
{{Article quote|This is a Forerunner? No.... That is impossible; it cannot be!}}

===''Halo 3''===
Going into ''[[Halo 3]]'', the internal perception of this twist changed within Bungie. After the infamous crunch that defined ''Halo 2''{{'}}s development, numerous prominent members of staff reduced their involvement with the game or were replaced. This included ''Halo 2'' lead writer [[Joseph Staten]] who largely departed from the game's production on a sabbatical - only coming back towards the end - and [[Jason Jones]], who was largely absent during development. In Jones' absence, and without a clear project lead, multiple internal visions emerged. Throughout this process, Bungie management were primarily focused on simply getting the game released over minor concerns about continuity and as such, these conflicting internal visions manifested in the differing presentation of the Forerunners as presented in ''Halo 3''{{'}}s main campaign and two pieces of ancillary media produced to support the game: the ''[[Iris]]'' ARG and the [[H3:Terminals|Terminals]]. 

According to [[Frank O'Connor]], the ''Halo 3''{{'}}s terminals were written by himself, [[Damian Isla]], [[Robert McLees]] and [[Rob Stokes]].{{Ref/Twitter|Id=WriterList|franklez|1196457934483410947|Frank O'Connor|Quote=Terminals were written by me, Damian Isla and TWO Robs. They are based on notes and ideas from the creation of each prior Halo and some ideas from the Marathon era and discussions with Joe Staten and other alum. They are canonical. They are mildly opaqued thru time and narrator.|D=18|M=11|Y=2019}}{{Ref|Group=Note|Bungie employee [[Paul Russel]] would go on to say three other employees, [[Paul Bertone]], [[Jaime Griesemer]] and [[Jason Jones]] "contributed to the writing of the terminals."{{Ref/Twitter|Id=PaulWriterList|docabominable|1602482171377221632|Paul Russel|Quote=Nooo! Bungie totally wanted the terminals! We didn't initially have time or resources to get them in. I was asked if I wanted to help and jumped in. Frank, Damian, Robt, Stokes, Bertone, Jaime, and even Jones contributed to the writing of the terminals. All vetted by management.|D=18|M=12|Y=2022}} However, this is not congruent with the rest of the known information about the terminals authorship. Jaime Griesemer would later go on to clarify his distance to the terminals, aligning himself towards the "game" team.{{Ref/Twitter|Id=JaimeGameTeam|32nds|1620248451161395201|Jaime Griesemer|Quote=It’s not so much about too many cooks, but that the game was what we all really cared about.|D=30|M=01|Y=2023}} Jason Jones is also known to have been considerably absent from ''Halo 3's'' development.{{Ref/Site|URL=https://www.vice.com/en/article/xwqjg3/the-complete-untold-history-of-halo-an-oral-history/|Site=VICE|Page=The Complete, Untold History of Halo|Quote=Jason vaporized at the end of Halo 2. He went on his long sabbatical out of the blue, and it was left to us to figure out who was going to lead the Halo team. At that point Bungie as a group was really rudderless, if not quite leaderless, really.|Quotee=Joseph Staten|D=22|M=08|Y=2022}} These employees have not been mentioned by the likes of Frank O'Connor, who was one of the terminals major contributors, with his expansion being that the terminals were also based on "discussions with [[Joseph Staten|Joe Staten]] and other alum."{{Ref/Reuse|WriterList}} It is important to note that these statements by Russel are derived from his real-time reading of fan discourse about the creation of the terminals, specifically the notion that the terminals were solely produced by Frank O'Connor, and Russel's statements were made primarily to combat that narrative. Initially, Russel relayed his impression that only Robert and [[Lorraine McLees]] were the writers of the terminals, not including O'Connor at all.{{Ref/Twitter|Id=McLees|docabominable|1602455088542486529|Paul Russel|Quote=Yes! Folks, don’t forget the terminals. Which, to be fair, almost didn’t happen. They were an Easter egg from a few people, and I worked with Damian Isla to make sure they didn’t get cut. I believe Robt and Lorraine were writing them, Damian did code, I did the art & terminals.|D=18|M=12|Y=2022}} Shortly later, Russel said that the terminals were mainly a "McLees family contribution," but they were written by "possibly also Frank."{{Ref/Twitter|Id=PossiblyFrank|docabominable|1602460457868136450|Paul Russel|Quote=No, as far as I know, the terminals were written by Robt McLees and possibly also Frank, though the terminals were mainly a McLees family contribution. Damian and I did code and art, respectively. https://archive.is/ED5en|D=18|M=12|Y=2022}} It was after this point that Russel then named Frank O'Connor, Damian Isla, Robert McLees, Robert Stokes, Paul Bertone, Jaime Griesemer, and Jason Jones as writing contributors, this time not mentioning Lorraine McLees.{{Ref/Reuse|PaulWriterList}} After this point of discussion, Russel made a post clarifying that he's remembering the details as they come, and he could contradict himself and adjust to new information.{{Ref/Twitter|Id=PaulContradictions|docabominable|1602490437121748992|Paul Russel|Quote=Hi! In the thread about terminals, I want everyone to know that I’m remembering more things as it goes, and adjusting to new information as it comes up. I may contradict myself slightly from time to time. The truth is a journey as much as a destination. Thanks for your patience! https://archive.is/dcooT|D=18|M=12|Y=2022}} An example of this would be seen in the same statement of his expanded list of writers, where he claimed the terminals were also authoritatively "all vetted by management," he later adjusted this to "management vetting never read or cared about continuity" after returning from discussing things privately with others.{{Ref/Twitter|Id=Discrepancy|docabominable|1603050616028368897|Paul Russel|Quote=From what I have gathered by talking to people involved offline: The game and terminal writers were separate teams with overlap; they didn’t think the discrepancy would matter; management vetting never read or cared about continuity; morning bagels were more important than canon. https://archive.is/sW1TP|D=18|M=12|Y=2022}} Overall, these employees could be "other alum" whose discussions that ideas in the terminals were based on, as Frank O'Connor related to Joseph Staten, but not actually writers of the terminals, and it is apparent Russel had simply produced as many names as possible to combat the fan narrative that Frank O'Connor singularly produced them.}} At one point, the terminals were at risk of being cut from the final game because Bungie feared they would not be ready at launch.{{Ref/Reuse|PaulWriterList}} However, Paul Russel and Damian Isla worked extra hours to get the animations, font, and code all correct and working.{{Ref/Reuse|McLees}} Damian Isla worked on the terminal's in-game implementation from a coding perspective while Paul Russel worked on the art.{{Ref/Site|URL=https://www.vice.com/en/article/xwqjg3/the-complete-untold-history-of-halo-an-oral-history/|Site=VICE|Page=The Complete, Untold History of Halo|Quote=I was always doing little tiny incremental things with development throughout, but where I really started working on things going directly into the game was Halo 3, when I worked with (engineer) Damian Isla on the terminals that explained the deeper lore. So I was doing more and more story as we got towards the end of it, and as we started Reach, I got the chance to actually write the script.|Quotee=Frank O'Connor|D=22|M=08|Y=2022}}{{Ref/Reuse|McLees}} The terminals and ''Iris'' were among the first official sources depicting the history of the Forerunners themselves, through various documents recorded from before the firing of [[Halo Array|the array]]. These sources follow a narrative in which the Forerunners (specifically the [[Librarian]]) discover Earth during the [[Forerunner-Flood war]]; the Librarian shows intense fascination at the planet's biota, calling it an "anomalous world" that may provide answers to the Forerunners' "own mysteries".{{Ref/Marketing|Id=Iris5|H3|Iris|[[Server/Five|Server 5]]}} More specifically, she is fixated on Earth's population of humans, who are shown as living in a paleolithic state. This version is also followed in the log by the Librarian featured in the 2010 reissue of ''[[Halo: The Flood]]'', in which she documents her ongoing indexing of Earth's biota, including the various species of human.{{Ref/Novel|HTF|Adjunct|Detail=Terminal L}}

Within materials in and related to ''Halo 3'', the narrative regarding the human-Forerunner connection suffered a disconnect from developer miscommunication. According to statements from [[David Candland]], [[Paul Russel]], and [[Jaime Griesemer]]: the "Game" team had continued the main idea that the Forerunners were humanity's ancient ancestors, following this intention through from being conceptualized during pre-production of ''[[Halo: Combat Evolved]]'',{{Ref/Reuse|candlandhbo}}{{Ref/Reuse|Jaimeshorthistory}} shown in the original tabled ending for ''[[Halo 2]]'' (described [[Earth Ark#Escaping the Ark|here]]) and echoed in Mendicant Bias's statements regarding humanity in ''[[Halo: Contact Harvest]].''{{Ref/Twitter|Id=TerminalsAddPrecursors|docabominable|1603095968345620480|Paul Russel|Quote=The way I understand it is that the terminal version is the same but adds the precursor angle of selecting a subset of humans to advance. https://archive.is/wip/57bY6|D=14|M=12|Y=2022}}{{Ref/Reuse|Id=Discrepancy}} Additionally, in the [[H3:Halo|last level]] of ''Halo 3'', the final line of cinematic dialogue from [[343 Guilty Spark]]: "''You are Forerunner!''"{{Ref/Level|Id=YouareForerunner|H3|H3:Halo|Halo|Quote=You are the child of my makers. Inheritor of all they left behind. You are Forerunner! But this ring... is mine.|Quotee=343 Guilty Spark}} was intended to reveal this information, supposing to bring closure to the mystery of the Forerunners identity.{{Ref/Reuse|candlandhbo}}{{Ref/Twitter|Id=JaimeYouareForerunner|32nds|1619837534074437633|Jaime Griesemer|Quote=It’s a reveal that just points at another mystery. Very JJ Abrams. I didn’t love it but it was an attempt to wrap up that thread, yeah.|D=29|M=01|Y=2023}} This version suggests that the Forerunners regressed themselves technologically after the firing of the Halos, and in effect ''became'' humanity as the audience know it, with modern humanity being described as "children" of the Forerunners.{{Ref/Level|Id=TruthYourForefathers|H3|H3:The Covenant|The Covenant|Quote=Your forefathers wisely set aside their compassion. Steeled themselves for what needed to be done. I see now why they left you behind. You were weak. And gods must be strong.|Quotee=Prophet of Truth}}{{Ref/Level|Id=ChildOfMyEnemy|H3|H3:Cortana|Cortana|Quote=Child of my enemy, why have you come? I offer no forgiveness. A father's sins pass to his son.|Quotee=Gravemind}}{{Ref/Level|Id=SparksCombatBarks|H3|H3:Halo|Halo|Quote=Think of your forefathers!, Do not destroy your inheritance!, Accept your legacy!|Quotee=343 Guilty Spark}}

The "Terminals" team had changed this to be somewhat different, reworking the idea to where the Forerunners were a subset of early sapiens, uplifted by the Precursors to a higher technological level-notably still the same species.{{Ref/Twitter|Id=TerminalsIntention|docabominable|1603053863866880000|Paul Russel|Quote=One of the writers said that the (terminal) forerunners were a '…subset of early humans uplifted by another group (the precursors?)'. Also 'I don’t believe that management gave a single shit about any story element...they only cared about shipping a game.' https://archive.is/fkTOC|D=14|M=12|Y=2022}}{{Ref/Twitter|Id=TerminalsNotSeperateSpecies|docabominable|1603054539384524800|Paul Russel|Quote=My friend who was on the terminal writing team said they’re not a separate species, but a group of early humans who were uplifted by a more advanced civilization. https://archive.is/DTNKb|D=14|M=12|Y=2022}}{{Ref/Twitter|Id=TerminalsPrecursorsSaipens|docabominable|1603260089854558208|Paul Russel|Quote=A couple people on the terminal team told me that the precursors picked a group of sapiens to become forerunner. If evolutionary timescales are involved, this could explain their different appearance in H4. It’s my personal best guess based on my understanding. https://archive.is/PcPA5|D=15|M=12|Y=2022}} This idea is also plainly seen in ''[[Iris]]'', with it as well having the Librarian discovering Earth and indexing the humans she finds, noting her personal allurement to both. However, while Iris specifically depicts this planet as Earth,{{Ref/Reuse|Id=Iris5}}{{Ref/Marketing|Id=CoL|H3|Iris|Halo 3: The Cradle of Life}} neither the terminals or Iris explicitly comment on the biological connection between Forerunners and humanity. Paul Russel has explained: "The game and terminal writers were separate teams with overlap; they didn’t think the discrepancy would matter; management vetting never read or cared about continuity; morning bagels were more important than canon."{{Ref/Reuse|Discrepancy}} and ''Halo 3'' was approved to ship with both versions.{{Ref/Twitter|Id=BothApproved|docabominable|1602720596328169475|Paul Russel|Quote=I hoped that came across as MAYBE the discrepancy came up and didn’t seem important against everything happening to get a AAA game out the door. I’m trying to be careful to not put words in others mouths. One thing for sure, H3 shipped with both versions and both were approved. https://archive.is/OfsZG|D=13|M=12|Y=2022}} 
[[File:HCH MendicantRevelation Artwork.png|thumb|250px|Mendicant Bias presents his revelation to the future-Hierarchs.]]
In ''Halo: Contact Harvest'', a Forerunner [[Luminary]] designates the humans on [[Harvest]] with the symbol meaning "Reclaimer", and [[Mendicant Bias]] explicitly states that "those it represents are my makers", an evidently unambiguous statement indicating that humans and Forerunners are synonymous. [[Joseph Staten]] began writing ''Halo: Contact Harvest'' while he was placed on temporary administrative leave to resolve differences between him and [[Marcus Lehto]].{{Ref/Site|Id=JoeVICE|URL=https://www.vice.com/en/article/xwqjg3/the-complete-untold-history-of-halo-an-oral-history/|Site=VICE|Page=The Complete, Untold History of Halo|Quote=A big thing that happened is that Marcus and I had a giant argument. He said he was done working with me, and I with him. I think everybody agreed that the best thing was for me to take a big break from working on Halo. So I took an extended sabbatical. [...] I became sort of the de facto franchise guy for the Halo universe during the early stage of Halo 3’s pre-production.|Quotee=Joseph Staten|D=22|M=08|Y=2022}} According to Paul Russel, the decisions for the terminals were made around this time.{{Ref/Twitter|Id=AdminLeave|docabominable|1602510864774582272|Paul Russel|Quote=I think that another way to look at it is that Joe was on “administrative leave” when he wrote the book, and wasn’t in the studio during much of H3. He honestly had no position at Bungie at the time and wasn’t privy to what was happening with the terminals while writing the book. https://archive.is/hmGTO|D=18|M=12|Y=2022}}{{Ref/Twitter|Id=AdminLeave2|docabominable|1602511567307816960|Paul Russel|Quote=See, Marcus had said “him or me” after H2, and Bungie chose Marcus. They put Joe out to pasture to chill, kept him on the payroll to write Contact Harvest, out of the loop. https://archive.is/JXK4w|D=18|M=12|Y=2022}} While Joseph was working on the novel, ideation and drafts were being vetted by terminal writers [[Frank O'Connor]] and [[Robert McLees]], as they were the keepers of the [[Halo Story Bible]].{{Ref/Site|Id=BnetCH|URL=http://halo.bungie.net/News/content.aspx?type=topnews&cid=12430|Site=Bungie.net|Page=Halo: Contact Harvest|D=07|M=02|Y=2021}} According to a Q&A on Bungie.net, Bungie "shoved Joe through the castle gates and slammed them closed behind him" to write the novel for a year, before resuming work on Halo 3.{{Ref/Reuse|Id=BnetCH}}{{Ref/Twitter|Id=AdminLeave3|docabominable|1602513112850378752|Paul Russel|Quote=To be clear, this wasn't a punishment for Joe. To reduce tension and remind that 'writer' is a position, Rob Stokes led H3's writing team for a bit, then Joe came back at the end for polish and finish. By then differences were settled, heads cooled. https://archive.is/dLJwE|D=18|M=12|Y=2022}} Joseph had left the studio during early ''Halo 3'' pre-production,{{Ref/Reuse|Id=JoeVICE}} a period ending in December 2005,{{Ref/Twitter|MaxHoberman|1646699110328664064|Max Hoberman|Quote=Alright, here's trivia Round 3, coming in hot because I have to run. This image is from a Halo 3 multiplayer map, at the end of preproduction. Which map is it?|D=13|M=4|Y=2023}}{{Ref/Twitter|MaxHoberman|1647388301609910272|Max Hoberman|Quote=December 2005|D=15|M=4|Y=2023}} and returned to work on ''Halo 3'' in 2006.{{Ref/Site|Id=LinkedIn|URL=https://www.linkedin.com/in/joseph-staten-8196015/|Site=LinkedIn|Page=Joseph Staten|Quote=Writer, "Halo 3," "Halo: Reach" 2006 - 2009 · 3 yrs|D=15|M=4|Y=2023}} According to Joseph, "[The novel] was supposed to come out before Halo 3, but honestly I was so busy helping finish the game that the novel's release date slipped by about a month. Fortunately, this gave me time to deliver a much more polished draft. We locked Halo 3 then I locked myself in a room for a month and made a number of really critical tweaks." He had also said "folks who spend the time to find and read the Halo 3 terminals will definitely have more insight into one of the major, climactic scenes in the book".{{Ref/Site|Id=1up|URL=http://www.1up.com/news/halo-contact-harvest|Site=1UP|Page=Halo: Contact Harvest Q&A|D=17|M=10|Y=2012}} He would again thank Frank O'Connor and Robert McLees for their work as writing editors throughout the process in the final release of ''Contact Harvest''.{{Ref/Novel|CH|''Acknowledgements''}}

With this, Staten is known be involved with both ''Halo 3's'' "game" story and ''Contact Harvest'', where the original Forerunner intention is presented in explicit statements in both respective media. It is not specifically confirmed, but made certainly clear that Joseph Staten was writing on these materials with the original intention. With McLees and O'Connor being both writers on the ''Halo 3'' terminals and editors for the novel, and Joseph having knowledge of the terminals, it is unknown why the contradiction took place. The potential insight from the terminals that Staten had mentioned is likely meant to refer to the backstory of Mendicant Bias. His behavior and statements in ''Contact Harvest'' match to how he is in the final terminal, and his appearance is in the major reveal scene of the book.{{Ref/Novel|Id=CHBIAS|CH|Chapter=16|Quote=< I WILL REJECT MY BIAS AND MAKE AMENDS > [...] < MY MAKERS ARE MY MASTERS > [...] < I WILL BRING THEM SAFELY TO THE ARK >}}{{Ref/Level|Id=MBT7|H3|H3:Halo|Halo|Detail=Legendary Terminal|Quote=But I want something far different from you, Reclaimer. Atonement. [...] But I will do all I can to keep it stable - keep you safe.|Quotee=Mendicant Bias}}

Another piece of ''Halo 3'' ancillary media, the [[Bestiarum]] included in the game's [[Halo 3 Limited Edition|Limited]] and [[Halo 3 Legendary Edition|Legendary]] collector's editions, introduced the concept of the [[Precursor]]s in passing as a "[[Technological Achievement Tiers|Technological Tier 0]]" civilisation - one capable of feats even beyond the Forerunners. While this brief mention was the only discussion of the Precursors in Bungie-era ''Halo'', the concept was later picked up and expanded upon by 343 Industries in their works.

===Ensemble Studios and early 343 Industries===
[[File:MMO Forerunner Concept 2.jpg|thumb|250px|Concept art for Ensemble Studios' ''Halo'' MMO, depicting human-like Forerunners.]]
Notably, concept art for the cancelled [[Titan (canceled game)|''Halo'' MMO ''Titan'']], developed by [[Ensemble Studios]], depicted the Forerunners as ostensibly human, supposedly reflecting the creators' intent at the time of the game's development. According to Sandy Petersen, the MMO was to be set at the time of the Forerunners, featuring a Forerunner faction