Sangheili Major

"Station and Salvation both command a heavy price."

- Sangheili Major's mantra.

Major, also referred to as Officer, is a Sangheili rank used by the Covenant and later by the Covenant Separatists. They are directly superior to Sangheili Minors.

Background
Majors are veteran warriors whose rank is directly above that of Sangheili Minors. They command groups of Minors as well as other Covenant races in ground combat situations. Additionally, the Majors also serve as the second-in-command positions aboard Covenant ships.

Only Majors can obtain the temporary rank of Ossoona, mainly due to the fact that a more seasoned warrior prefers combat, not stealth, and a Minor is too inexperienced to become an Ossoona.

Physical appearance
Majors are clad in shades of red combat harnesses, comparable to the red armor of Unggoy Majors. In Halo: Combat Evolved, the color scheme of the harness is simply crimson. This color scheme has been extended to two variable colors in Halo 2, which featured bright-red and crimson, and in Halo 3, which featured metallic crimson and metallic maroon. Like the Minors in Combat Evolved, there are two differently shaped variations of the helmet for the Majors. The Forerunner symbols featured in Combat Evolved is absent in Halo 2 but is available in Halo 3.

The color scheme and the designs of the harness underwent some significant changes in Halo: Reach; the color scheme now covers at least three color variables (gold, orange and red). The Major in Reach now has its own unique armor design to differentiate the Major from other Sangheili ranks; the helmet differs greatly from the design of the Minors and is more decorative and elongated, and the pauldrons are slightly larger and more pronounced at the separated tips.

Combat
Majors are most commonly seen in Halo: Combat Evolved, Halo 2 and Halo: Reach on the Heroic and Legendary difficulties. On Easy and Normal, their presence is very minimal to none. They can be seen leading lances of Unggoy, Kig-yar and Minors. Equipped with approximately 50% stronger energy shielding than their lower-ranked counterparts, Majors are competent and forceful warriors capable of overpowering their opponents, namely UNSC Marines and ODSTs although that is not necessarily the case. They are less likely to perform tactical errors when compared to the inferior Sangheili Minors; Majors would seek more cover to provide itself the tactical advantage over their opponents and would fire their weapons with great accuracy and faster rate of fire.

Like the Minors, Majors usually wield plasma rifles, occasionally dual wielding them. In some scenarios, Majors would wield the Carbines and Needlers.

Trivia

 * As seen in a Halo: Combat Evolved original 2000 teaser trailer, the Majors were originally supposed to have a point defense gauntlet.
 * Majors' Combat Harness, referred to as the Sangheili Officer Harness, is available as a Sangheili armor permutation in multiplayer as a reward for buying the Halo: Reach Limited or Legendary editions.
 * It is a common mistake by fans that the full name for this rank is "Major Domo". This was brought on from Halo: Ghosts of Onyx, which makes a reference to a "Majordomo Sangheili". A 'majordomo' is a real-world term for the head of a family in an aristocratic-sense. Based on this, a 'majordomo' is in fact a human term for the sangheili title of kaidon. Its unparallel with the rank of 'Major' is confirmed on the next page, which mentions sangheili of the military rank simply as 'majors'.
 * A Halo Reach concept art image of a Sangheili Major, specifically the headpiece, bears some resemblance to the curved helmets of some Elites in Halo CE. These different helmets have had no canonical or working explanation, since it appears to be an aesthetic difference. It may be that it indicates status or higher responsibility in the field, since the concept art slightly resembles said helmet in Combat Evolved.

List of appearances

 * Halo: Combat Evolved
 * Halo 2
 * Halo 3
 * Halo 3: ODST
 * Halo: Reach


 * Halo: The Flood
 * Halo: Ghosts of Onyx
 * Halo: The Cole Protocol
 * Halo Legends