Forerunner

Summary
"Forerunner(s)" is the translated Covenant name for the race that built the Halos. It is theorized that this same race is responsible for the artifact that was found on Reach, and on Sigma Octanus IV. The artifacts appear to have originated on different worlds, but have somehow made it onto these other planets. These artifacts are our only means of finding information about the Forerunner.

It is argued that the Forerunner may be connected with the Jjaro from Bungie's previous games. The similarities 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 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 games. The fact that the Halos are stationed all round the galaxy could be seen as evidence that their empire covered the entire galaxy.

At some point, the Forerunners came into contact with the Flood (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 hundred 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 also 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, Halo 2, 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.

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.

Monitor 343 Guilty Spark says to the Master Chief in Halo 1, "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." Later, when 343 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." 343 Guilty Spark also during Halo 1 says to the Master Chief "Please stop being human" if Master Chief shoots at him in the Library, possibly implying that the chief is Forerunner - or that the Forerunner are human.. 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 also occasionally asks "Why would you hesitate to do what you've already done?", after the Master Chief chooses not to activate Halo. This too could point to the fact that the Forerunners were human.

Look at the walls of Forerunner structures. On many of the walls there are 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 Silent Cartographer, but they are found on almost every level.

Late in the first Halo game, during a cutscene in the level, "The Maw", 343 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! Human history is it? Fascinating. Oh I shall enjoy every moment of its categorization...." Clearly another link between humans and Forerunners. Another link is that only humans can activate the rings, and only humans are Reclaimers. This is shown near the end of Halo 2 when Tartarus was trying to force Miranda Keyes into placing the Index into Halo's control systems, rather than do it himself.

In the Beginning Cutscene on the Level "Delta Halo", the drop pods are falling over what appears to look like Africa. The Forerunners might have built the Halos with land that looks like their home, Earth.

At the end of Halo 2, as the remaining rings are left perilously in 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". The Arbiter then approaches from behind and asks "And where, Oracle, is that?". Before 343 answers his question, 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 suggests that they are most likely 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.

Another thing of interest is that whenever the Spartans or humans encounter forerunner glyphs, they always believe them to be Aztec in nature. The Aztec were a seemingly very advanced Native American civilization with much power. It could be possible that the Aztec have something to do with the Forerunners, or it could be pure coincidence.

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. Evidence (other then Bungie's comments of course),include Cortana's monologue in the second underwater elevator during the Halo 2 Level- "Regret". She states that the Covenant had not attacked Earth with full force, that they had come to find something. I.E. ,their decision to invade the planet as opposed to glassing it. It would make sense on why the Prophets would order the destruction of the human race, as the possible link between humans and Forerunners would endanger the exalted status the Prophets have built for themselves in a religion centered around the technology of the Forerunners. Usually a new species is marked for subjugation into the Covenant, with the exception of humans who apparently are marked for genocide upon first contact. This is also proven in the conversation between two Sangheili in Conversations from the Universe

As The Bible being a metaphor, perhaps a very small amount of Forerunners (enough to repopulate their species) actually did survive the activation of the Ark and the blast that wiped the galaxy clean of sentient life. After all, the Ark was built to provide protection from The Great Flood (metaphor). This could imply that the forerunners took shelter in the ark, breading to create the human race. Or perhaps after activating the Ark the Forerunners inside the Ark facility were protected from the blast but were still partly exposed to the radiation, degrading their mental structures, and causing memory-loss (which would also explain the first question 'Why do the Humans know nothing of the Forerunners?'

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
The Forerunners have a great technology, they 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

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.

Fortress Worlds


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 but when we look at the Monitor naming scheme, they offer a clue as to the existence of other Halo's.

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.

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.


 * Sentinel Majors - A major of a sentinel.


 * Sentinels - Responsible for guarding a halo.


 * 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

Related Links
Internal
 * Reclaimer

External
 * Forerunner Symbology - An article on Forerunner symbols.