Editing Outer Colonies

{{Status|Canon}}
[[File:Nightfall - Sedra.jpg|thumb|300px|Sedra, an Outer Colony that survived the Covenant War.]]
{{Quote|The UNSC needs every man and woman patrolling the Outer Colonies. Between the raiders and the insurrectionists, it's a wonder it all hasn't fallen apart.|Lieutenant [[Jacob Keyes]]<ref>'''[[Halo: The Fall of Reach]]''', ''page 35'' (2010)</ref>}}

The '''Outer Colonies''' are the [[human]]-[[human colonies|colonized worlds]] farthest from the core worlds, including [[Earth]] and the [[Inner Colonies]] loyal to it, with colonies founded after. From the late 25th century and well into the [[Human-Covenant War]], disorder and rebellion were commonplace. The majority of the Outer Colonies were [[glassing|glassed]] by the [[Covenant]] during the war.<ref name="glassed">'''[[Halo: First Strike]]''', ''pages 98-99'' ("''And what did the citizens of the Outer Colonies think? Those who hadn't fled to remote outposts and hidden privateer bases weren't in any position to make trouble. The Covenant didn't take prisoners.''")</ref>

For a list of notable Outer Colonies, see [[Human colonies#Outer Colonies|here]].

==History==
===Founding===
{{Main|Domus Diaspora}}
The Outer Colonies were colonized and founded by the [[Unified Earth Government]] mostly over the course of the 25th century, following [[human]]ity's first wave of extrasolar colonization between [[2362]] and [[2390]].<ref name="enc43">'''[[Halo Encyclopedia (2009 edition)]]''', ''pages 43-45'' (2011)</ref> The settlement of [[Alluvion]] in [[2412]] is generally considered the start of the Outer Colonies.{{Ref/Novel|HO|Chapter=9}} Unlike the inhabitants of the [[Inner Colonies]] who had been selected from [[Earth]]'s "best and the brightest", the recruiting standards for the Outer Colonials were far more varied. Due to the colonization contractors' main interests being in valuable resource rights rather than having the best personnel, some Outer Colony settlers were selected from pardoned law-breakers, while others were illegally conscripted. In addition, some colonists used their own means, legal or illegal, to transport to the distant colonies in order to escape Earth's control. All of these factors led the colonists having no particular loyalties to Earth.<ref name="history">'''[[Halo: Evolutions]]''', "[[The Impossible Life and the Possible Death of Preston J. Cole]]", ''pages 428-429''</ref>

The Outer Colonials' resentment of UEG control often manifested as various forms of civil disobedience, such as refusal to pay taxes or living in illegal settlements outside the government's [[surveillance grid]]s.<ref>'''Halo: Evolutions''', "[[Pariah]]", ''pages 13-14''</ref> It was also common for Outer Colony citizens to avoid registering births and deaths to [[Colonial Administration Authority]] databases; as such, there was no complete gene registry of Outer Colony inhabitants. However, these registrations were not mandatory, as the UNSC suspected it would have further agitated the Outer Colonials.<ref name="oc">'''Halo: Ghosts of Onyx''', ''page 82''</ref> Most Outer Colony citizens, however, took advantage of the benefits offered to them by the CAA, including the free [[Outer Colony vaccination program]], which was secretly used to catalog children's DNA. This program was later used in drawing suitable recruits for both the [[SPARTAN-II program|SPARTAN-II]] and [[SPARTAN-III program]]s.{{Ref/Reuse|oc}}<ref>'''[[Dr. Halsey's personal journal]]''', ''February 15, 2511''</ref> While the Outer Colonials were often reluctant to trust the UEG's [[United Nations Space Command]], the [[Colonial Military Authority]] was significantly more accepted after the organization was forced to make the Outer Colonies its province after the UNSC continued to encroach on the CMA's powers in the Inner Colonies.<ref name="ENC68">'''Halo Encyclopedia: The Definitive Guide to the Halo Universe''', ''pages 68-69'' (2011)</ref>

===Insurrection===
{{Quote|Or maybe the UNSC keeps overreacting and causing the Outer Colonies to not want any part of all this. A million casualties now, caught in the crossfire, since TREBUCHET started. No one's going to ignore that. The civilians will keep cheering the rebels on.|[[Felicia Sanderson]]<ref name="dirt117">'''Halo: Evolutions''', "[[Dirt]]", ''page 117''</ref>}}
[[File:Eridanus battle.png|thumb|250px|left|UNSC and rebel forces battle over Eridanus II.]]
Earth and the Inner Colonies would become heavily dependent on materials supplied by the Outer Colonies, which prompted the Unified Earth Government to keep them under its control. However, as human-controlled space grew in volume, Earth began to lose its logistical ability to control the far-flung colonies.{{Ref/Reuse|enc43}} By [[2490]], the Outer Colonies encapsulated the Inner Colonies, in addition to surpassing them in numbers. With increased trade restrictions and taxes set up by the CMA, the tension between the Outer Colonies and Earth increased all the more. This caused many inhabitants of Earth and the Inner Colonies feel threatened by the increasingly hostile Outer Colonies, which now literally surrounded them. Others thought that through diplomacy over enough time, the situation between the core worlds and the Outer Colonies could be stabilized. Despite this, the UNSC increased their military presence in the Outer Colonies, which would in turn provoke them to increased aggression, eventually sparking numerous brushfire wars across the Outer Colonies, collectively known as the [[Insurrection]].{{Ref/Reuse|history}}

The Insurrection largely took place in the Outer Colonies. The [[UNSC Navy]]'s [[Office of Naval Intelligence]] and the CMA revived the [[ORION Project]] on [[2491|January 29, 2491]] to combat the rebellions in the Outer Colonies.<ref name="wp spartans">[https://www.halowaypoint.com/en-us/universe/factions/spartans '''Halo Waypoint''': ''Spartans'']</ref> The supersoldiers were deployed to Outer Colony [[Eridanus II]], located in the increasingly rebellious [[Eridanus system]]. The [[Eridanus Government]] had been overthrown by insurgents and, along with the ORION supersoldiers, the UNSC Navy launched [[Operation: CHARLEMAGNE|a counter-attack]] on the usurpers. Although the rebellion was quelled, the insurgents fled to the system's [[asteroid]] belt and soon established the [[United Rebel Front]]. The SPARTAN-II program was created to combat the insurrectionists. As rebel activity increased in the Outer Colonies, the UNSC initiated [[Operation: TREBUCHET]] in [[2513]]. At first, the operation was effective and widely accepted throughout the colonies. However, as the theater of operations expanded and nearly a million civilian causalities had occurred by the mid-2520s, civilian dissent and support towards the rebels grew in the Outer Colonies.{{Ref/Reuse|enc43}}{{Ref/Reuse|dirt117}} By [[2524]], rebel activity was beginning to even hit major Inner Colonies, including [[Reach]] and [[Tribute]].<ref>'''Halo: Contact Harvest''', ''page 127''</ref><ref>'''Halo: Contact Harvest''', ''page 81''</ref>

The Insurrection resulted in millions of civilian casualties in the Outer Colonies and forced the UNSC to respond with military force. However, according to later analysis, without military action by the UNSC, the Outer Colonies might have risen against the core worlds, leaving humanity even more vulnerable in the onset of the [[Human-Covenant War]].{{Ref/Reuse|history}}

===Human-Covenant War===
[[File:Harvest Plasma Glassed.jpg|thumb|250px|Harvest, the first Outer Colony to be glassed by the Covenant.]]
{{Quote|Many of you may have come from Outer Colonies. Colonies that fell to the alien Covenant while the UNSC took their time to enact methods of dealing with the aliens. Colonies that you know were not as well protected as they could have been, because the UNSC's loyalties are to Earth first, the Inner Colonies next, and the Outer Colonies last.|[[Maria Esquival]] of [[the Rubble]]<ref name="hcp206">'''[[Halo: The Cole Protocol]]''', ''page 206''</ref>}}
Beginning in [[2525]], [[Harvest]] was the first Outer Colony and human world to [[First Battle of Harvest|fall]] to the [[Covenant]]'s genocidal wrath.<ref>'''Halo: The Fall of Reach''', ''pages 96-98'' (2003); ''pages 118-120'' (2010)</ref> The technologically superior alien empire succeeded in pushing its way through the Outer Colonies, [[glassing]] the human worlds in its path. Vice Admiral [[Preston Cole]] mounted a defense in the Outer Colonies against the Covenant; despite his tactical prowess in [[space warfare]], the Covenant still proved to be unstoppable. By [[2535]], with the [[Battle of Jericho VII|destruction]] of [[Jericho VII]], most Outer Colonies had been lost.<ref>'''Halo Encyclopedia: The Definitive Guide to the Halo Universe''', ''page 205'' (2011)</ref> In the same year, Cole had established the [[Cole Protocol]] that forbade human vessels from retreating directly to a human-occupied system after an encounter with the Covenant, to prevent leading the Covenant to other colonies.<ref>'''Halo: The Fall of Reach''', ''page 159'' (2010)</ref> Some Outer Colonists were displeased with how long it had taken for such a protocol to be established, as many Outer Colonies had been destroyed by the time of its creation.{{Ref/Reuse|hcp206}}<ref>'''Halo: Evolutions''', "[[Dirt]]", ''page 131''</ref> Meanwhile, the war had finally moved closer towards the Inner Colonies. The Inner Colonies that were located around the border between the Outer and Inner Colonies soon became staging points for the UNSC.<ref name="hcp26">'''Halo: The Cole Protocol''', ''pages 26-31''</ref>

With the destruction of most of the Outer Colonies, whom the Inner Colonies had relied on for resources, the Inner Colonies were forced to begin extracting their own resources. Open fields and even forests on Inner Colonies, such as [[Chi Rho]], were converted into farmland to allow the colonies to produce their own food supplies, in an attempt to stave off the food shortages experienced due to the loss of the Outer Colonies. Inner Colonies also saw an influx of [[asylum seeker]]s fleeing the Outer Colonies, which led to the establishment of [[Wikipedia:Tent city|tent cities]].{{Ref/Reuse|hcp26}} In [[2543]], there was a brief pause in Covenant activity in the Outer Colonies. Soon, the empire renewed its efforts and began eliminating the remaining Outer Colonies, while invading the Inner Colonies.<ref>'''Halo: Evolutions''', "The Impossible Life and the Possible Death of Preston J. Cole", ''page 483''</ref> By [[2552]], though some Outer Colonies still remained in UNSC hands, most were small and rather insignificant worlds. The significant colonies still under UNSC control lived in constant fear of Covenant invasion.

[[File:Halo Last Light cover.jpg|thumb|left|250px|UNSC forces in the [[Montero Cave System]] on [[Gao]].]]
===Post-Covenant War===
After the end of the [[Human-Covenant War]] in early [[2553]], tensions in the remaining Outer Colonies were on the rise again. Some of the colonies had cut off communications with the UNSC during the war, using the chaos to their advantage. [[Fleet Admiral]] [[Terrence Hood]] set off on a diplomatic mission across the colonies to discuss reconstruction, but some refused his offer, feeling that the UNSC abandoned them during the war.<ref>'''Halo: Glasslands''', ''pages 68-70''</ref> Some Outer Colonies seeking to extend their autonomy from the UEG favored small, long-range, slipspace-capable utility craft such as the [[D81-LRT Condor]] to scout potential trade routes and manage diplomatic relations with other worlds, allowing them to avoid the UNSC's control over interstellar commerce.<ref>[https://www.halowaypoint.com/en-us/universe/vehicles/d81-lrt-condor '''Halo Waypoint''': ''Condor'']</ref> The UEG and UNSC initiated a recolonization campaign after the Covenant War, with efforts to reclaim every world that humanity had lost during the war. One of the first to be resettled, [[Draco III]] was fully populated once more by [[2554]] and served as a staging ground in furthering the effort to reestablish control and contact with the other outlying worlds. By [[2558]], several glassed Outer Colonies had been recolonized to some degree by the UEG, including Eridanus II<ref>'''[[Halo 4]]''', multiplayer level ''[[Skyline]]''</ref> and [[Biko]].<ref>'''[[Hunt the Truth]]''', ''Episode 08: DRIP, DRIP, DRIP''</ref> The former Outer Colony [[Carrow]] fell into a [[Joint Occupation Zone]] and was shared by both humans and Sangheili refugees from the [[Operation: SUNSPEAR|destroyed]] Sangheili colony of [[Glyke]].<ref>'''[[Halo: Envoy]]'''</ref>

In [[2558]], directly after ONI's method of candidate conscription for the SPARTAN-II program was revealed to the UEG [[Unified Earth Government Senate|Senate]], the Outer Colonies saw a total loss of interplanetary—and possibly local—communications, by way of ONI disabling [[Waypoint]] buoys to prevent dissemination of information regarding their activities, along with the outbreak of serious civil unrest against the UEG in retaliation against the atrocities.<ref>'''Hunt the Truth''', ''Episode 09: PHANTOMS''</ref> Communication was restored along with peace in the colonies upon the discrediting of [[Benjamin Giraud]] on a live broadcast.<ref>'''Hunt the Truth''', ''Episode 13: IN THE BAG''</ref>

==Government and politics==
[[File:H5G - Sloan and Meridian Station.jpg|thumb|250px|right|[[Meridian Station (location)|Meridian Station]] in [[2558]].]]
A majority of Outer Colonies are managed under the [[Unified Earth Government]]'s administrative control, with colonial governance regulated by the UEG's [[Colonial Administration Authority]]. The UEG is a representative [[democracy]]<ref name="waypointhumans">[https://www.halowaypoint.com/en-us/universe/species/humans '''Halo Waypoint''': ''Humans'']</ref> and, thus, the government is formally a union of independently governed worlds.{{Ref/Reuse|enc43}} Officially,  Throughout the 25th century, the UNSC's presence on the Outer Colonies was steadily increasing. This led to some colonies questioning the legitimacy of their sovereignty.{{Ref/Reuse|enc43}} By [[2494]], the UEG began to experience difficulties with its logistic ability to control the Outer Colonies.{{Ref/Reuse|history}} Some Outer Colonies were established by megacorporations that also served as the government for these worlds, such as the [[Talitsa Corporate Council]] that governed [[Talitsa]]. Corporation-controlled governments often proved to be ineffective and these Outer Colonies often experienced political uprisings, insurgencies, and dissent among its citizens.<ref>[https://www.halowaypoint.com/en-us/news/canon-fodder-beta-late-than-never '''Halo Waypoint''': ''Canon Fodder: Beta Late Than Never'']</ref><ref>[https://www.halowaypoint.com/en-us/universe/locations/talitsa '''Halo Waypoint''': ''Talitsa'']</ref><ref>'''Halo: The Cole Protocol''', ''page 106''</ref>

Most Outer Colonies lacked the pervasive UNSC military presence that was often seen on Inner Colonies. Prior to [[2525]], the [[Colonial Military Authority]] served as the Outer Colonies' primary defense organization—having been relegated to the frontier worlds after the UNSC continued to encroach on its authority in the core worlds. Eventually, the organization became increasingly loyal to the Outer Colonies over Earth and a majority of the CMA's personnel were Outer Colonists, who saw themselves as bold frontiersmen. Ultimately, the CMA lost a majority of its power in [[2497]] and was then absorbed by the UNSC in 2525 after the organization continuously suffered widespread corruption{{Ref/Reuse|ENC68}} and many of its high-level officers were proven to have insurgent loyalties.{{Ref/Reuse|wp spartans}} As several Outer Colonies have little to no UNSC presence,{{Ref/Reuse|ENC68}}<ref name="cargo2">'''Halo: Nightfall''', ''[[Halo: Nightfall: Outbound Cargo - Part 2|Outbound Cargo - Part 2]]''</ref> they must rely on their own militias or paramilitaries—occasionally organized by the UNSC's [[Colonial Militia]]—for planetary defense operations.<ref>'''Halo: Contact Harvest''', ''page 77''</ref>
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==Economy==
While the Inner Colonies relied on the Outer Colonies for resources, the Outer Colonies depended on industrial, military, and technological products and commodities provided by the Inner Colonies.{{Ref/Reuse|enc43}} Some Outer Colonies were colonized primarily for the world's resources. [[Agriculture world]]s are often Outer Colonies that produce food for other colonies;<ref>'''Halo: Contact Harvest''', ''page 76''</ref> most of these worlds were [[Glassing|glassed]] during the [[Human-Covenant War]], forcing Inner Colonies to create their own farmlands for food.{{Ref/Reuse|hcp26}}
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==List of appearances==
{{Col-begin}}
{{Col-2}}
*''[[Halo: The Fall of Reach]]'' {{1st}}
*''[[Halo: The Flood]]'' {{Mo}}
*''[[Halo: First Strike]]''
*''[[Halo: Ghosts of Onyx]]''
*''[[Halo 3]]'' {{Mo}}
*''[[Halo: Contact Harvest]]''
*''[[Halo: The Cole Protocol]]''
*''[[Halo Wars: Genesis]]''
*''[[Halo Wars]]''
*''[[Halo: Evolutions - Essential Tales of the Halo Universe]]''
**''[[Dirt]]''
**''[[Palace Hotel]]'' {{Mo}}
**''[[Pariah]]''
**''[[The Impossible Life and the Possible Death of Preston J. Cole]]''
**''[[The Return]]''
*''[[Halo: Reach]]'' {{Mo}}
*''[[Halo: Fall of Reach]]''
**''[[Halo: Fall of Reach - Boot Camp|Boot Camp]]''
**''[[Halo: Fall of Reach - Covenant|Covenant]]''
*''[[Halo: Glasslands]]''
*''[[Halo Living Monument]]'' {{Mo}}
*''[[Halo: The Thursday War]]''
*''[[Halo 4: Forward Unto Dawn]]''
*''[[Scanned]]''
*''[[Halo: Escalation]]''
{{Col-2}}
*''[[Halo: Mortal Dictata]]''
*''[[Halo: Nightfall]]''
*''[[Halo: New Blood]]''
*''[[Hunt the Truth]]''
*''[[Halo: Last Light]]''
*''[[Halo 5: Guardians]]''
*''[[Halo: Ground Command]]'' {{Mo}}
*''[[Halo Mythos: A Guide to the Story of Halo]]'' 
*''[[Halo: Fractures]]''
**''[[What Remains]]''
**''[[Breaking Strain]]''
**''[[Into the Fire]]''
*''[[Halo: Smoke and Shadow]]''
*''[[Halo: Envoy]]''
*''[[Halo: Retribution]]''
*''[[Halo: Silent Storm]]''
*''[[Halo: Official Spartan Field Manual]]''
*''[[Halo: Battle Born]]''
*''[[Halo: Renegades]]''
*''[[Halo: Meridian Divide]]''
*''[[Halo: The Television Series]]''
{{Col-end}}

==Sources==
{{Ref/Sources|2}}

[[Category:Human colonies| ]]