Forerunner

Summary
"Forerunner(s)" is the translated Covenant name for an ancient race of beings that built the Halos and the Shield World of Onyx. It is theorized that this same race is responsible for the artifacts that were found on Reach, and Sigma Octanus IV. The aforementioned artifacts are our only means of finding information about the Forerunners.

It is argued that the Forerunner may be connected with the Jjaro from Bungie's previous games. The similarities, such as being incredibly technologically advanced, are apparent.

Known History
Almost nothing is known about the history of the Forerunners, save that they were an extremely advanced civilization that inhabited the galaxy many hundreds of thousands of years in the past, although it is unknown when they spread around the galaxy. They achieved an extremely high level of technological advancement, and the evidence of this can be seen scattered throughout the series. The fact that the Halos were created and placed all around the galaxy could be seen as evidence that their empire covered the entire galaxy.

At some point, the Forerunners came into contact with, or possibly created, the Flood. Seeing the danger they posed to all life in the galaxy, the Forerunners attempted to contain them. They were able to study them in labs such as the one found in the gas mine on Threshold. Several hundreds, possibly thousands of years after discovering the Flood, they created the Halos as weapons to be used as a last resort against the Flood, wiping out all sentient life with enough biomass to sustain them, killing the Flood through starvation. Another purpose of the Halos was to contain the Flood so the Forerunners could study them (as explained by 343 Guilty Spark in Halo 1.) They assigned Monitors to each ring with the tasks of maintaining them so that they could be used again in case of future outbreaks.

In the second game, 343 Guilty Spark explains that after exhausting every other strategic option in their struggle against The Flood, the Forerunners activated the Halos about 100,000 years ago, destroying themselves along with all other sentient life of sufficient biomass to sustain the Flood within three radii of the galactic center. However, there is some speculation that the Forerunners might be alive in another galaxy or another Shield World.

Forerunners and Humans?
Both the games and novels contain content that has led to speculation that the Forerunner species is somehow linked to Homosapiens of the 26th century. This section is a synopsis of the material in question.

When 343 Guilty Spark talks about activating the installation, he says "Last time you asked me if it was my choice, would I do it? Having considerable time to ponder your query, my answer has not changed, we must activate the rings." 343 Guilty Spark during Halo 1 also says to the Master Chief "Please stop being human" if Master Chief shoots at him in the Library, possibly implying that the monitor knows what humans are- or that the Forerunner are ancient descendants of humanity or humans themselves. Another instance when 343 Guilty Spark makes a reference to humans being linked to forerunners is when he says to the Master Chief, "The installation was specifically built to study and contain the Flood. Their survival as a race was dependent upon it. I am grateful to see that some of them survived to reproduce." This might be implying that humans are descendants of forerunners. However, it could also imply that 343 Guilty Spark is referring to the Flood.

The Halo installations seen in the games and novels also appear to have the same gravity and atmosphere as Earth; it would make sense that the Forerunner would attempt to make the Halos similar to their homeworld. The monitor asks "Why would you hesitate to do what you've already done?", after the Master Chief chooses not to activate Halo, possibly another hint to humanity's true roots.

Also linking forerunners and humans together, the forerunners died 100,000 years ago, which, ironically, was around the same time the ancient homo-sapiens started to move out of africa, thus perhaps linking the fall of the forerunners, and the rise of the humans.

On many of the walls of the Forerunner structures. there are geometrical and mathematical designs and patterns. If you look closely at certain walls you will find lines that greatly resemble a human face. It is easiest to find this on The Silent Cartographer, although they are also found on almost every level in Halo 1.

In the opening cutscene of Two Betrayals, after Cortana explains how halo works, Guilty Spark says, "but you already knew that. How couldn't you?" this could indicate that he believes that the Forerunners have passed their knowledge on.

Late in the first Halo game, during a cutscene in the level "The Maw", [343 Guilty Spark] is shown pulling data out of the Pillar of Autumn's data core while saying, "You can't imagine how exciting this is, to have a record of all of our lost time! Oh I shall enjoy every moment of its categorization...", which may be another link between humans and Forerunners.

The fact that only humans, or Reclaimers, as the monitor refers to them can activate the rings. This is shown near the end of Halo 2 when Tartarus forced Miranda Keyes into placing the Index into Halo's control systems, rather than do it himself.

At the end of Halo 2, as the remaining rings are left in a state of standby after their firings are averted, Commander Miranda Keyes asks 343 Guilty Spark where one (i.e. the High Prophet of Truth) would go to remotely fire all the Halo rings. His response, full of surprise at the query, is "The Ark". Upon being asked the location of the Ark, the cutscene transitions to show Truth's ship arriving outside Earth's orbit.

The novels also appear to offer hints about the link between humans and Forerunners. Several Spartans recognize Forerunner symbols but they can't quite place them, which may mean that the information is deep in the subconscious. In Halo: The Flood, the Master Chief just 'knows' how to activate the light bridge, for some strange reason; the same appears true when he activates the Silent Cartographer. In Halo: First Strike, the Spartans just "know" how to operate the Wraith tanks. If the Covenant did indeed salvage technology from the Forerunners, then that might explain it.

In Halo: Ghosts of Onyx at one point one of the Spartan-IIIs is challenged by one of the sentinels in Latin. This could lead to more speculation that humans are in fact the forerunners or servants of them.

Halo 3 may also offer more clues or explanations. In the game's E3 announcement trailer, the vast Forerunner object the Master Chief observes resembles an earlier sketch that says "Ark" and Dervish, the early name for the Arbiter. Bungie has not confirmed that the object Master Chief witnesses is the Ark, only stating that it is a Forerunner artifact. Possible other hints include Cortana's monologue in the second underwater elevator during the Halo 2 Level- "Regret". She states that Regret's fleet had been ten times smaller than the Fleet that glassed Reach, that they had come to find something, such as the Ark.

See The Reclaimer for more information on the link between the Forerunner and humans.

Forerunner Weaponry
Forerunner constructs use a wide variety of weapons. The Sentinels wield energy beams, used mainly for fighting the Flood. Sentinel Majors have a more powerful and accurate version of the beam, which sports superior energy output at the cost of overheating issues. All varieties of these Sentinel Beams can be wielded by certain Covenant and Human infantry. Meanwhile, Enforcers are equipped with multiple packs of small rocket-like explosives launched over the top of their shield as well as weapons similar to Needlers, which fire clusters of smaller red crystals at a faster rate, used mainly against infantry at close range. These mammoth constructs also seem to be able to lift vehicles using some sort of magnetic grapple, before crushing even tank-sized objects between their massive 'arms'. The Sentinels of Onyx had significantly more powerful weaponry. They were described as spheres surrounded by three floating "booms" and had powerful energy shields that would suddenly "pop" into place in order to deflect fast-moving fire. The shields could be tricked by dense, slower moving objects, such as rocks, which Team Saber used to destroy one of the Sentinels. Their energy weapons, described as a single golden beam, charged slowly, but when fired, could melt straight through the armor of the Spartan III's. These Sentinels also had the ability to combine, or "mate", for different purposes, such as stronger combat abilities, or excavation purposes. After having combined, they were so powerful that they easily destroyed two Covenant destroyers, and killed Team Gladius.

Forerunner Technology
Forerunner technology is highly advanced. Such technologies include: the Energy Bridge, Teleportation Grid, The Index, Phase Pulse Generators, Markers, Teleporters, Containment Facilities, Sentinel Beam, Sentinel Launcher, Anti-Gravity Gondola, Sentinel Production Facility, Energy Core, Gas Container, Conveyor Belt, Piston, and the Plug Lock. The Halo rings themselves, as well as the Micro-Dyson sphere at the center of the artificial world Onyx, are, above all others, the most significant pieces of technology. The planet Onyx in particular demonstrates both their ability for engineering on a grand scale, and their near transcendent grasp of "Slipspace" technology.

Forerunner Art and Architecture
Forerunner architecture is noted mainly for its geometric style and vast scale. It tends to be very elaborate, with numerous extrapolations of the basic design of a structure, all purely decorative. They use complex geometric shapes and hardly ever use anything but straight lines in their design.

The Forerunners tend to decorate the interiors of their structures with a complex web of engraved straight lines.

The fact that the Forerunners were able to build such giant structures as the Control Rooms, Libraries, the Temple, the Sentinel Wall, the planet Onyx and even Halo itself shows that they likely had very sophisticated methods of building.

Installation 04

 * Control Room
 * The Silent Cartographer
 * Alpha Base
 * The Library
 * Flood Containment Facilities

Installation 05

 * Control Room
 * The Library
 * Quarantine Zone
 * Sentinel Wall
 * The Temple
 * Flood Research Facilities
 * Relay Station
 * Sentinel Production Facility



Installation 04, and 05 are the only two Fortress Worlds yet discovered in the Halo Universe. Yet looking at the Monitor naming scheme (variants of 7, none the less), they offer a clue as to the existence of other Halos.

Looking at the number in 343 Guilty Spark, 343 is seven to the third power. Seven being a number seen frequently in Bungie games and mythology. The number "2401", from 2401 Penitent Tangent, is seven to the fourth power.

When the numbers of each Monitor are examined, a pattern emerges: each seems to be seven raised to the power of the installation number minus one; therefore this table to the right can be established.

The first three numbers across from installation 07 is "117" which of course is John's SPARTAN number( SPARTAN- 117 ). And the infamous "7" with Bungie is apparent in Installation 07

Forerunner Installations

 * The Ark - Controls all halo installations.


 * Gas Mine - Built to study The Flood.


 * Coral Facility


 * Reach Facility


 * Onyx - A UNSC controlled world, inhabited by sentinels.

Forerunner Constructs

 * Monitors - Floating AIs responsible for maintenance of Halo worlds.
 * Onyx Sentinels - Powerful, adaptive Sentinel of Onyx.
 * Enforcers - Enforce the Monitor's will.
 * Sentinels - Responsible for guarding a Halo.
 * Sentinel Majors - An upgraded Sentinel.
 * Constructors - Responsible for the repair of a Halo.

Forerunner Artifacts and Technology
See also Technology


 * The Ship
 * The Crystal
 * Deep-Space Artifact
 * Forerunner Hand
 * Forerunner Body Armor

Internal Links

 * Reclaimer