Editing Terminal (Halo 4)

{{Era|RW}}

{{Center|Were you looking for the [[Z-9930 Information Vector Console]], otherwise known as a Terminal?}}

[[File:Halo-4-Terminal-Locations.jpg|right|300px|thumb|A Terminal seen in ''Halo 4''.]]

The '''terminals''' in ''[[Halo 4]]'' are [[Forerunner]] [[terminal]]s accessible to the player over the course of the game's [[campaign]]. Like the [[Terminal/Halo: Combat Evolved Anniversary|terminals]] in ''[[Halo: Combat Evolved Anniversary]]'', the ''Halo 4'' terminals feature animated and voiced cinematics similar to [[:Category:motion comics|motion comics]]. Fictionally, the terminals are presented as fragments of information from the [[Domain]], a mysterious store of knowledge once used by the Forerunners.<ref name="jul">[http://halo.xbox.com/en-us/Universe/detail/halo-4-terminal-jul-mdama/0f378de5-e0e3-4f31-a1e1-2a363af4094d '''Halo Waypoint:''' ''Halo 4 Terminal: Jul 'Mdama'']</ref><ref name="achievements">[http://halo.xbox.com/blogs/Headlines/post/2012/08/22/The-Halo-Bulletin-82212.aspx '''Halo Waypoint''': ''The Halo Bulletin: 8.22.12'']</ref>

Finding a terminal awards the player the [[Contact the Domain]] achievement, while finding all the terminals in the campaign unlocks the [[Terminus (Achievement)|Terminus]] achievement.<ref name="achievements"/>

<div class="tab">Prologue</div>

{{/One}}

<div class="tab">Terminal One</div>

{{/Two}}

<div class="tab">Terminal Two</div>

{{/Three}}

<div class="tabbox">

<div class="tab">Terminal Three</div>

{{/Four}}

<div class="tabbox">

<div class="tab">Terminal Four</div>

{{/Five}}

<div class="tabbox">

<div class="tab">Terminal Five</div>

{{/Six}}

<div class="tab">Terminal Six</div>

{{/Seven}}

<div class="tabbox">

<div class="tab">Terminal Seven</div>

{{/Eight}}

Each Terminal has its own achievement for accessing it, named after the Terminal itself. There is also an achievement for finding all of the terminals.<ref>'''[[List of Achievements for Halo: The Master Chief Collection]]'''</ref>

 

This is further supported by the text descriptions and order of the Terminal videos on the [[Halo Channel]], which describes 'Charum Hakkor', Terminal Three, as the defeat of the Humans, and 'Flood', Terminal Four, as their punishment. However due to an error, both terminal videos play the video of Terminal 3 (Formerly Four) in which [[Prehistoric human civilization|Humanity]] is defeated.<ref>'''[[Halo Channel]]'''</ref>

*[[Endurance-of-Will]] {{C|Indirect inclusion}}

**[[Jul 'Mdama's Covenant faction]]

*[[Prehistoric human civilization]]

*[[Capital]]

*[[Omega Halo]] {{C|Indirect inclusion}}

**[[Siege of Charum Hakkor]] {{1st}}

*{{Class|CRS|light cruiser}}

*[[Sangheili combat harness]]

**[[Sangheili Commander|Commander]] variant

==Behind the scenes==

The terminals do not appear in-game after they are acquired for the first time, nor does Cortana's [[Requiem (level)#THE GATEWAY|unique line]] regarding the second level's terminal. The only way to avert this is to clear all Halo 4 data from the [[Xbox 360]]'s system cache. Unlike the terminals in ''[[Halo: Combat Evolved Anniversary]]'', the first ten of which are available in-game, ''Halo 4''<nowiki>'</nowiki>s terminal videos can be accessed only through the player's ''Halo 4'' Service Record on ''[[Halo Waypoint]]''.

 

There are a number of discrepancies between the terminals and [[Greg Bear]]'s ''[[The Forerunner Saga|Forerunner Saga]]'', in particular the third and final novel, ''[[Halo: Silentium]]''. The most direct inconsistencies lay with terminals 5, 6, and 7, which are adapted as part of the climax of ''Silentium''. Some plot elements are changed slightly, while others are altered quite drastically; the dialog varies completely in each case. These discrepancies are largely the result of deliberate production decisions; according to [[343 Industries]] Franchise Writer [[Jeremy Patenaude]], the terminals are meant to present a condensed version of the story of the Didact and the Librarian with the main consideration of weaving the narrative with that of the game proper while conveying the basics of the story to a wider audience within the confines of the limited length of the terminal videos.<ref>[http://waypointassets.blob.core.windows.net/mobilecontent/legacysupport/content/assets/en-us/podcast/343Sparkast_017.mp3 '''Halo Waypoint''': ''343 Sparkast 017'']</ref> Thus the narrative of the terminals lacks much of the nuance and broader context present in the novels, and many elements of the greater story arc are simplified, abstracted or omitted altogether. From an in-universe perspective, it should be noted that the terminals are hosted by the [[Domain]], (which is known to alter data without explanation and had lain un-accessed for 100,000 years following the firing of the Halos), which could explain any perceived incongruities. Meanwhile, the narrative of ''Silentium'' is a series of eyewitness accounts collated from the memory stores of the carapace of a [[Catalog]] and a [[monitor]] as opposed to the more unreliable Domain, and as such can be considered a more accurate recounting of the events.<ref name="endurance">[https://blogs.halowaypoint.com/en-us/blogs/headlines/posts/the-halo-bulletin-5-14-14 '''Halo Waypoint''': ''The Halo Bulletin 5.14.14'']</ref>

The Didact's monologue to the Lord of Admirals in Terminal 4 is taken nearly verbatim from ''[[Halo: Primordium]]'', albeit abridged. The circumstances of the Lord of Admirals' surrender differ from ''Primordium''; in his recounting, Forthencho states that he spent the final hours of the [[Siege of Charum Hakkor|battle for Charum Hakkor]] in a [[Citadel Charum|Precursor citadel]] on the planet's surface, as opposed to personally capitulating to the Didact aboard his flagship as seen in the terminal.<ref>'''Halo: Primordium''', ''pages 240-241''</ref>

The events of Terminal 5 are not depicted directly in ''Silentium'', though they are implied to have occurred between the Didact's recovery near [[Uthera Midgeerrd]] and his return to [[Nomdagro]] (a four-year span).<ref>'''Halo: Silentium''', ''pages 28, 197''</ref> In ''Silentium'', the conversion of the organic Prometheans into mechanical Knights is not addressed until much later. The Didact's physiological changes wrought by his self-experimentation are never mentioned in the novel; rather, it is implied that his face has become haggard due to the psychological stress he endured during his interrogation by the [[Gravemind]].

The events of Terminal 7 are not heavily changed, though they are greatly expanded. The most notable difference is the involvement of [[Endurance-of-Will]], the Didact's lover before his marriage to the Librarian. Additionally, the terminal depicts ''Mantle's Approach'' hovering over a mountain range with stars visible in the sky, whereas in the novel, the ship remains docked within the interior of Requiem when the Librarian comes aboard to confront her husband. In the novel, the Librarian and the Didact briefly converse on the bridge of ''Mantle's Approach'' before the former shoots the latter. Though the Librarian touches a Promethean Knight as she leaves the Cryptum chamber, there is no indication that this overrides the Promethean constructs' loyalty to the Didact; instead, this is implied to occur when she leaves her [[Mind transfer|memory imprint]] with Endurance. However, 343 Industries has clarified that the particular Knight the Librarian encounters in the terminal is Endurance, who composes herself after the Librarian's final conversation with her;<ref name="endurance"/> this is heavily implied, although not directly described, in ''Silentium''.<ref>'''Halo: Silentium''', ''page 300''</ref>

File:H4-RequiemTerminal-ScanRender.png|Extraction of a Requiem Terminal.

File:Halo4-Requiem-Terminal.jpg|A terminal in the core of Requiem.

File:H4-Forerunner-Terminal.jpg|A terminal found on the level ''Forerunner''.

<references/>

[[Category:Canon]]