Bulletin board



On the first and last of the Halo: Combat Evolved levels, a bulletin board can be found just outside the bridge of the Pillar of Autumn. There are two versions of it featured within Halo: Combat Evolved and in Anniversary.

Halo: Combat Evolved
Some of the seven messages on the bulletin boards look plausible, some are just silly, and still others are hidden Easter eggs.

There are actually more bulletin boards on the Pillar of Autumn, one being found on the mission, The Maw, where there is a shattered board right through the cafeteria alongside two medical packs and an empty shotgun, but the first is the only one with legible messages.

One post on the board says: "Missing: Calico Cat: Answers to Jonesy" This is a reference to Alien and Aliens, two movies that Halo draws inspiration from, to include the banter of a Marine soldier. Jones, sometimes called Jonesy, was a Calico cat in the series and was a survivor of the first movie, along with Ripley.

There is a picture of Earth from the Moon with the caption "Fight for Her" on it. This is likely a propaganda piece that was disseminated by the UNSC. It also shows Africa, which may be a reference or foreshadowing to where the Ark's portal is hidden.

There is also a note reading:

For Sale:

Pentium XI 33 GF

Chicago Office

Colony Ship

*7 Speed Manual transmission.

 Hyde Park Condo''

Integrity

This is a reference to Bungie being bought by Microsoft. It mentions the location of Bungie's old office, as well as referencing a stage in Marathon, entitled Colony Ship for Sale: Cheap.

There is a sign that says: "Marines keep it clean! Clean your area, toss your filth, put away your trash." The term "Keep it Clean" would later become the catchphrase of a Halo 3: ODST character, the Superintendent, and is the name of a trailer for the game.

Another says: "Duty roster Pillar Of Autumn" with some illegible writing which is supposedly the duty roster.

One says: "Marines scooters are for squirts, no scooters on deck."

Another reads: "Attention marines, callbacks for South Pacific" and the rest is cut off by a keyboardish item. It is likely that this is a reference to the musical, South Pacific.

Halo: Combat Evolved Anniversary


Appearing within the same location as Halo: Combat Evolved, the board features new messages, new Easter eggs, a technologically upgraded appearance, and new references to Halo media. The board features a bar with the options "File, Edit, Object, Window, Help."

One of the posts parallels the original version of the board's notice alerting that Jonesy is missing with a "cat found" poster referencing an Internet meme in which the "cat" in the notice's photo is clearly an opossum. The handwritten poster reads:

''Cat Found!!! ''Light tan w/ black and grey
 * ''Fe-male
 * ''No collar
 * ''Not very friendly, I think she might be scared
 * ''Not house broken either :(
 * ''Found on 75th
 * If she's yours, call Dan 714- [redacted]

Next to this post is a notice asking "Have you seen my goose? He is missing. Reward offered." This is another reference to Jonesy. In the picture, the goose has laid a golden egg.

Another one of the posts displayed on the board includes a distinct reference to the "Unidentified planet|Legendary planet" which is featured within Halo 3's ending and is to be featured in Halo 4. The poster advertises "Sneak Preview Night" to a new film called Dark Planetoid Rising - "7|7pm Friday, Aft Theater [No reserved seats]" - a reference to a 2008 NeoGAF meme. The poster for the advertisement is a direct screenshot of the Legendary planet.

If one look even closer, an image of the Internet meme Trollface can be seen to the bottom-left.

A notice below that displays a promotion for a band called Fist of the Unicorn: ''Special encore performance by ship's band Fist of the Unicorn  ''Featuring: SPC Van Kalletta on lead guitarz ''(and replacement drummer PFC Dimitrov) ''Rockin' your Eridanus off ''Main Hangar Saturday 1600 hours

The Defiant Map Pack's promotional image can be seen within the top-right corner, declaring "Defy the Covenant", in parallel to the original propaganda poster.

Beneath that a small poster advertises: ''Work 4 Hire ''any job ''2 weeks ''[Is easy]

The final poster is an order to the crew. ''NOTICE ''To All Crew Members: ''>>All unit VTARS must be submitted for final approval by 7|0700 every Tuesday. ''Units in VTAR noncompliance will be subjected to additional review by . ''Maj. Cammarano << ''This notice will serve as your final reminder.