List of rectified inconsistencies in the Halo series

"Catalog's answers are correct as of time of [publication], but users should be aware that reconciliation effects and integrity checks may alter specifics at a later time."

— Catalog

This page lists internal inconsistencies and canonical conflicts that have since been resolved in the Halo series whether from reprints or external sources.

Halo: The Fall of Reach

Main article: Halo: The Fall of Reach

There are two reissued editions of The Fall of Reach; the first one, released on August 3, 2010, retained many of the errors present in the original printing while spawning some new ones of its own, prompting Tor Books to publish an additional "Definitive Edition" with further revisions on June 28, 2011.

• The dropship used to transport the 75 SPARTAN-II trainees to the Military Wilderness Training Preserve in Chapter 5 was originally identified as a Pelican, whose troop bay would be too small for 75 people. In the reissue the dropship is replaced with the larger Albatross, a change that was carried over into the comic and animated adaptations.

• On page 46 of the original edition, Kelly-087 hands out parts of a map to the 75 Spartan trainees. Then on page 48, when John checks to make sure the children arrived at the lake, he counted only 67. In the re-release, "sixty-seven" is changed to "seventy-four".

• In the original edition, when the Spartans are browsing through the cargo manifest of the freighter Laden, the ship is said to carry champagne of a "Beta Centauri vintage", implying the Beta Centauri system had been colonized by humanity. In the re-release, "Beta Centauri" has been changed to "Procyon". This is likely due to the fact the system is situated well beyond the known sphere of influence of humanity and thus unlikely to house a colony.

• In the original edition, Captain Keyes refers to Ensign William Lovell as "Michael" when first meeting him. This has been corrected in the 2010 edition.

• In the original, a UNSC frigate was referred to as the Alliance, and then shortly thereafter as the Allegiance. In the 2010 edition, the ship is referred to as the Allegiance in both instances.

• In the original edition, the ship UNSC Leviathan was referred to as a cruiser and then later as a carrier. In the 2010 edition, the ship is referred to as a cruiser in both instances.

• On page 19, Michael Stanforth was said to be a Vice Admiral, and on page 95, it said he was a Rear Admiral. In the 2010 edition, he is referred to as a Vice Admiral in both instances.

• In the original edition, Vice Admiral Stanforth was stated to be ten years Dr. Halsey's senior. "Ten years" is changed to "six years" in the 2010 edition, most likely to accommodate Stanforth's and Halsey's birth dates established in the ONI memorial in Halo 3: ODST.

• In the 2001 edition, the Pillar of Autumn is said to be missing its port-side emergency thrusters, though it later uses them twice. In the 2010 edition, the mention of the thrusters being missing has been removed.

• In Chapter 22, James-005's left arm is severed by an assault cannon. In the original edition, it is said a few pages later that he saluted with his left hand—while it was still missing. In the 2010 re-release, he salutes with his right hand.

• In the original edition, the first time John-117 encounters Sangheili warriors in the battlefield is on Gamma Station during the Fall of Reach. In addition, the UNSC is depicted as not having any first-hand intelligence on the species prior to the battle; Dr. Halsey only speculates their existence. This was ignored in later material; in the subsequent Eric Nylund novel Halo: First Strike, the Spartans of Red Team casually refer to the Elites at a time they would have been no more familiar with them than John and Blue Team aboard Gamma Station, and in Halo: Ghosts of Onyx, the Spartan-IIIs encounter Sangheili as early as 2537 and 2545. Later fiction has portrayed Sangheili as having been present in battles throughout the war numerous times. References to the Sangheili as being a never-before-seen species were altered to be more in line with the revised canon in the reissue. When Dr. Halsey briefs the Spartans for Operation: RED FLAG in chapter 26, the line

"We believe there is a 'race' of field commanders, which we are currently calling 'Elites'"

is changed into:

"We also know that there is a 'race' of field commanders we have historically called 'Elites'".

During the Spartans' mission to Reach Station Gamma in chapter 35, the following sentence:

"These must be the elite warrior class Dr. Halsey had conjectured. The Covenant's best? They were about to find out."

is changed into:

"These were Elites - the iron heart of the Covenant. Would they best the Spartans this time? They were about to find out."

• In chapter 29, the sentence

"From this distance, the Pillar of Autumn could have been mistaken for an elongated frigate."

is changed into:

"From this distance, the Pillar of Autumn could have been mistaken for a Marathon-class carrier."

This passage is still erroneous as the Marathon class is a cruiser, not a carrier.

• The number of the Covenant ships present at the battle over Reach is changed from 314 to "well over seven hundred" in the 2010 reissue. This may be due to a line spoken by Fleet Admiral Terrence Hood in Halo 2, where he states that the fleet that destroyed Reach was "fifty times" the size of the Fleet of Sacred Consecration. However the change is only done once while all other instances state the fleet consists of 314 ships. The number is changed back to its original form in the 2011 Definitive Edition.

• In the 2001 edition, Admiral Roland Freemont recalls all UNSC warships in the "REACH, JERICO [sic] and TANTALUS systems" to the defense of Reach. The 2010 reissue changes the spelling of "JERICO" to "JERICHO", but the rest of the line remains unchanged. In the 2011 Definitive Edition, the reference to the Tantalus and Jericho systems has been removed: Reach and Tantalus are both planets in the Epsilon Eridani system, whereas the so-called Jericho system had fallen to the Covenant many years prior.

• During Blue Team's mission to Reach Station Gamma, the original edition states that Kelly shouted "All secure!" while the Spartans' Pelican prepares for maneuvering, even though she is not aboard the Pelican. "Kelly" has been corrected to "Linda" in the reissue.

Halo: The Flood

Main article: Halo: The Flood

• The cutscene in Halo: Combat Evolved at the end of the level The Pillar of Autumn clearly shows the Autumn being fired upon with plasma. However, in Halo: The Flood, the Prophet assigned to the fleet forbids the Covenant ships to fire, lest they strike the "sacred relic". However, this is remedied in the fleet broadcast log in the ancillary content of the reissue of Halo: The Flood, where it is revealed that the order was ignored by the fleet's Supreme Commander.

• The original edition describes how a group of entrenched Marines could not be hit by Ghosts' plasma fire, as the vehicles' plasma cannons were fixed and the marines were on a hill. In the games, the Ghost's plasma cannons can easily increase or decrease their angle. The line is altered to be more vague in the new edition:

"Fortunately, the weapons that fired the energy bolts were fixed, which meant that the rise would continue to offer the humans a good deal of protection, so long as the Ghosts weren't allowed to climb the slopes."

is changed into:

"Fortunately, the Covenant vehicles couldn't get a fix on the Marines' position, which meant that the rise would continue to offer the humans a good deal of protection, so long as the Ghosts weren't allowed to climb the slopes."

• A reference to a Hunter having a spine is changed in Chapter 4 in a scene where John-117 kills one with a Shade turret. In addition, the male pronoun used to refer to it is changed to the neutral "it" in some instances:

"The Hunter didn't have time to bring its shield fully into play, and plasma blasts burned through multiple layers of armor, and exited through his spine."

is changed into:

"The Hunter didn't have time to bring its shield fully into play, and plasma blasts burned through multiple layers of armor, and exited through its back."

However, the male pronoun remains unchanged in most instances and Ogada Nosa Fasu is still said to have a spine when John-117 kills it in Chapter 6.

• In the original edition, Sergeant Parker is consistently referred to as a he, and then a she. He is consistently referred to with the male pronoun in the new version.