Thom Shephard
From Halopedia, the Halo wiki
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Caught in an explosion[1] |
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Male[2] |
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Black[3] |
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Brown[3] |
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Technical Chief[2] |
- "Sam! Sam! Come on, we gotta get the hell outta' here!"
- — A panicked Thom urgently hurries the Chief out of Cryo Two.[3]
Thom Shephard was a UNSC Navy Technical Chief who served as an engineering technician aboard the Halcyon-class cruiser UNSC Pillar of Autumn in 2552.[2]
Biography
Early life and career
Thom Shephard attended an academy, where he met Samuel Marcus; the two would later serve alongside each other in the UNSC Navy aboard the UNSC Pillar of Autumn.[2]
Fall of Reach
On August 30, 2552, Thom Shephard was among those who escaped the Fall of Reach aboard the UNSC Pillar of Autumn. During the slipspace journey away from the planet, the ship was running on a skeleton crew, and under the orders of Captain Jacob Keyes, the technical crew, which included Shephard, was put on triple shifts.[2]
Death
On September 19, he was listed as the Bravo Shift Cryo Technician on Pillar of Autumn's duty roster.[4] Shephard ordered Samuel Marcus to assist him with unsealing Spartan John-117 from his cryo-chamber before the Pillar of Autumn's crash-landing on Installation 04.[2] Shephard ran through several diagnostics and tests for the Spartan's MJOLNIR Mark V armor. Soon after, Captain Keyes called the Chief to the bridge as the ship was boarded by the Covenant. A single Sangheili entered the control center of Cryo B and killed Marcus. Shephard told the Master Chief to follow him to the bridge and rushed out the door, where he was killed by an explosion.[1][3]
Production notes
- Thom Shephard first appeared in Halo: Combat Evolved as an unidentified crewman, though he was called "Cryo Tech" by Martin O'Donnell.[5] He was named in the game's novel adaptation Halo: The Flood, and his unique character model in Halo: Campaign Evolved includes a name tag on his uniform.
- In all his in-game appearances, Thom Shephard is voiced by Ken Boynton, who provided various background voice-lines in the Halo games.[5][6]
- In the original Halo: Combat Evolved, Shephard's model cycles between many generic crewmen models every playthrough.[7] In Halo: Combat Evolved Anniversary, Shephard's unique character model was based on Mathieu Lacombe, a 16-year-old Make-a-Wish child who told 343 Industries community manager Jessica "bs angel" Shea that "I wish I could live forever in Halo." Headshots of Mathieu were taken for reference in modelling Shephard.[8] Mathieu was spotlighted in a Halo Waypoint blogpost on February 17, 2011, where he discussed his passion for Halo.[9] Mathieu ultimately passed away around April 2011 before the release of the game on November 15.[10] He was listed in the Halo 4 credits under the "Heroes Never Die: In Memory of Spartans" section.
Gallery
Halo: Combat Evolved
Thom Shephard next to a control console.
Shephard watches as the Chief exits his cryo pod.
Shephard oversees the Chief's shields being charged.
Shephard is killed in an explosion.
Halo: Combat Evolved Anniversary
Mathieu Lacombe, who provided his facial appearance for Shephard.
Development image of Thom Shephard's Anniversary model, based on headshots of Mathieu.
Marcus and Thom Shephard release the Master Chief from cryo sleep.
Thom Shephard and Samuel Marcus in the observation theater.
Shephard' full character model.
A portrait of Shephard.
Shephard watches as the Chief exits his cryo pod.
Close up of Shephard next to a control console.
Halo: Campaign Evolved
Thom Shephard looking up to Marcus in the observation theater.
Shephard using his data pad.
Shephard horrified by Marcus' death.
Shephard is killed in an explosion.
List of appearances
- Halo: Combat Evolved (First appearance)
- Halo: The Flood
- Halo: Combat Evolved Anniversary
- Halo: Campaign Evolved
Sources
- ^ a b c Halo: The Flood, chapter 1
- ^ a b c d e f g h i Halo: The Flood, Prologue
- ^ a b c d Halo: Combat Evolved, campaign level The Pillar of Autumn
- ^ Halo: Campaign Evolved, campaign level The Pillar of Autumn: Bulletin board duty roster
- ^ a b halo.bungie.org, Voice Acting (Retrieved on Dec 27, 2001) [archive]
- ^ Halo: Campaign Evolved, credits
- ^ Halo: Combat Evolved, Crewman model
- ^ blogs.halowaypoint.com, The Halo Bulletin: 3.19.14 (Retrieved on Oct 12, 2014) [archive]
- ^ Halo Waypoint, Waypoint Wringer: The Fan With Blue Flames (Retrieved on Feb 20, 2011) [archive]
- ^ 405th.com, Now it's our turn to do something amazing...... - Page 19 (Retrieved on Mar 2, 2026) [archive]
