Forum:Forward Unto Dawn Impressions

Part 1
Good start to the series in my opinion. Any guesses on what that was in the sky at the end of the episode? Col.  Snipes  4  50  11:31, 5 October 2012 (EDT)

-Maybe an Orbital insertion pod. If it's not that, I got nothing. User:Yoonhyuk-740


 * A Covenant intelligence-gathering ship, hinted by the hacking of the UNSC computer. — subtank   11:37, 5 October 2012 (EDT)
 * Good start to the series. Can't wait for Part 2!-- Spartacus,   Halopedia Administrator  Talk 11:55, 5 October 2012 (EDT)
 * I haven't even watched it yet and I saw 4.5 million views w/ 44,000 likes/1,400 dislikes! Imagine the release of Halo 4. Forget $200 million in sales, more like $400 million...I'll give my opinion after I watch it.-- Killamint  [Comm |Files ] 12:25, 5 October 2012 (EDT)
 * My bad, I was looking at the wrong video.-- Killamint  [Comm |Files ] 12:38, 5 October 2012 (EDT)
 * It looks alright, much better than I expected. Its a shame poor Junjie was the victim of stereotypes. I got a couple of screenshots of the symbols, but I'm not sure about licensing to upload them. They don't match the halo2.com cipher anyways.. Still looking forward to part 2 though! :D --Tent acle Torn ado  14:36, 5 October 2012 (EDT)
 * I knew learning Mandarin/Chinese would be a bonus some point in my life! Junjie's father sounded like a Malaysian speaking Chinese though. — S331 Bubbleshieldhud.svg(COM • Mission Log • Profile) 17:41, 5 October 2012 (EDT)

Finally saw it, looks great, definitely has that "movie" feel to it.-- Killamint  [Comm |Files ] 19:42, 5 October 2012 (EDT)

Cadmon Lasky
I have a theory about Mama Lasky's boys: Thomas is questioning the wisdom of the UNSC's stance on the Insurrectionists because his brother was killed by them on Jericho VII (possibly in some sort of ambush or as a result of faulty intel) I'm guessing that it happened in late-2525/early-2526 right around the time the SPARTAN 2s were sent in. I believe that, as a result of this incident, he blames the UNSC as much as the Insurrection for his brother's death. It makes sense because of the way he bristles at being called an "Innie Lover", yet makes no secret of his feelings regarding the UNSC's policies toward the Insurrectionists. According to Vickers, he was apparently a squad leader at one point, but had since fallen out of favor. The video has set out to show that he has a talent for strategy & tactics (he timed their rendezvous with the rest of the squad down to the second & he's apparently quite good at chess), so it makes sense that, if his brother had been killed, he would look beyond the obvious ("The Innies killed my brother, so it's all their fault") causes & look at the larger picture ("Why did Cadmon die on Jericho VII in the first place"?) It would definitely explain his motivations in questioning Vickers' orders during the training exercise. It would also explain why he was so paranoid about someone else seeing him watching the video mail from his brother. In fact, I am making a prediction: The Chief will mention to Tom that he met Cadmon on Jericho VII, and was impressed by his bravery/skill/ingenuity/etc. This exposition will occur at a dramatically appropriate point in the series & will provide the motivational spark that lights a fire under Tom to become the soldier he's meant to be. DJenser 14:58, 5 October 2012 (EDT)
 * From what I remember, ODSTs were deployed to the Academy to fight the Covenant. ODST? Cadmon Lasky? Deaths? Inspired? Thomas Lasky? — S331 Bubbleshieldhud.svg(COM • Mission Log • Profile) 17:41, 5 October 2012 (EDT)


 * @S331: To paraphrase my theory: Thomas Lasky has (possibly had) a brother named Cadmon Lasky who had previously graduated the Corbulo Academy of Military Science. What we know at this point is that, upon graduation, he served in the UNSC Marines as an ODST and was deployed on Jericho VII for 131 days some time in, or before, 2526. My theory is that Cadmon (remember, that's Thomas's brother) was killed at some point during his deployment on Jericho VII. I believe this incident caused Thomas to question the UNSC's reason for perpetuating the war with the Insurrectionists when diplomacy might have been more effective.
 * So let's now recap and address your questions:
 * 1) Q:ODST? A: Stands for "Orbital Drop Shock Trooper"; Deployed to the academy (along with 3 SPARTANs) to assist with the defense & evacuation of the students & personnel in 2526. Some ODSTs graduated the academy prior to serving, which brings us to...
 * 2) Q:Cadmon Lasky? A: An ODST and graduate of the aforementioned academy, as well as the brother of Thomas Lasky (see question 5). He was deployed to Jericho VII at some point during Thomas' first year in the academy.
 * 3) Q:Deaths? A: A staple of storytelling, the death of one close to the Hero is often a motivator for or against a course of action. In this case, I believe that a death (the death of his brother Cadmon) has caused Thomas to question the UNSC's policy regarding the Insurrection in general, and, specifically, the part that he himself is to play in it.
 * 40 Q:Inspired? A: The synopsis for the Halo 4: Forward Unto Dawn series states that the Master Chief inspired Thomas Lasky to become the soldier the UNSC needed him to be. My theory is that the Chief (at some point during the series) tells Thomas of how he had met Tom's brother on Jericho VII, and how that meeting had had some sort of a profound impact on the Chief. I believe that this will be the final bit of inspiration Thomas needs to become the hero he is meant to be.
 * 5) Q:Thomas Lasky? A: I don't know how to answer this one... If you don't know who that is, you really should watch the videos before asking these questions. Just sayin'...DJenser 13:30, 8 October 2012 (EDT)

Corbulo Academy
Does anyone else find it ironic that this story takes place at an academy named after a general who unquestioningly committed suicide on the orders of emperor Nero, who is widely considered to be one of the most tyrannical rulers in the history of the Roman Empire? DJenser 15:49, 5 October 2012 (EDT)
 * The whole "most tyrannical ruler" thing is something of a myth.--The All-knowing Sith&#39;ari 16:52, 5 October 2012 (EDT)
 * Not so much a myth as a divergence of theories based upon the opinions of those that were either in support of, or opposed to, the policies of Emperor Nero, both during and in the years after his reign. Dissenting viewpoints notwithstanding, the general consensus of those theories indicates that he was a tyrant, particularly to the upper echelons of Roman society, whom he saw as a threat to his power. This is the same Nero that had his own mother executed, then publicly ruled it a suicide, something which is not a myth, but a matter of historic record set down in the Annals. In addition to this, Corbulo was ordered by a paranoid Nero to fall on his sword due to circumstantial evidence stemming from a failed coup attempt in which a member of the general's extended family had taken part, with no real evidence implicating Corbulo himself. I think that, myth or not, you will agree that the analogy (and it's resultant irony) still holds true given that H4:FUD's story takes place in an academy for the children of the upper echelons of the UNSC's military elite... An environment in which the protagonist, Thomas Lasky, is expected to blindly follow orders, to his own detriment. DJenser 15:22, 8 October 2012 (EDT)

Overuse of "Insurrectionist"
I understand that they have a canon "umbrella" name for these groups, like modern day "Insurgents", but I don't think anyone would have minded if, after the first use of the word "Insurrectionist" they switched to shorter phrases like Tangos, Rebels/Rebs, or the canonical abbreviation Innies. We use nicknames for a reason, and referring to them constantly by a five-syllable name hardly rolls off the tongue. It wasn't a huge thing, but it did bug me. --  Qura 'Morhek   The Autocrat     of Morheka   17:40, 5 October 2012 (EDT)
 * Oh, that really got on my nerves, almost as much as the stereotypes and constant 'defocusing' cameras. Like you said, there have been many a time when other names were used. Plus this would be the prime time to let loose the elusive "URF". --Tent acle Torn <font color="#B8860B">ado  13:44, 8 October 2012 (EDT)