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| {{Era|RW|FA}} | | {{Era|RW|FA}} |
| {{Title|''Halo 4: Forward Unto Dawn''}} | | {{Title|''Halo 4: Unngoy''}} |
| {{disambig header|the web series|the UNSC ship|UNSC Forward Unto Dawn}} | | {{disambig header|the web series|the UNSC ship|UNSC Forward Unto Dawn}} |
| {{Film Infobox | | {{Film Infobox |
| |image=[[File:FUD-Poster.jpg|250px]] | | |image=[[File:FUD-Poster.jpg|250px] |
| |name=''Halo 4: Forward Unto Dawn'' | | |name=''Halo 4: Forward Unto Dawn'' |
| |director=[[Wikipedia:Stewart Hendler|Stewart Hendler]] | | |director=[[Wikipedia:Stewart Hendler|Stewart Hendler]] |
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| |music=*[[Neil Davidge]] | | |music=*[[Neil Davidge]] |
| *Nathan Lanier | | *Nathan Lanier |
| |studio= | | |studio= 3 (Live-Action Halo Series)'']</ref> |
| |distributor=
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| |release date= *''Series'': [[2012|October 5-November 2, 2012]] <ref name="Bulletin 5252012">[http://halo.xbox.com/blogs/Headlines/post/2012/05/25/The-Halo-Bulletin-52512.aspx '''Halo Waypoint:''' ''The Halo Bulletin 5.25.2012'']</ref>
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| *''Special Edition'': November 6, 2012
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| *''Blu-ray/DVD'': December 4, 2012 <ref name="thb101012"/>
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| *''Deluxe Edition'': [[2013|May 27, 2013]] <ref name="cvg">[http://www.computerandvideogames.com/395420/halo-4-forward-unto-dawn-gets-blu-raydvd-release-in-may/ '''CVG:''' ''Halo 4: Forward Unto Dawn gets Blu-ray/DVD release in May'']</ref>
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| {{Quote|The Story of Halo 4 Begins at Dawn.|Official tagline}}
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| '''''Halo 4: Forward Unto Dawn''''' is a live-action film and miniseries set in the [[Halo universe|''Halo'' universe]]. Although shot as a feature-length film, ''Forward Unto Dawn'' was originally released as a webseries consisting of five roughly 15-minute episodes, the first of which was released on October 5th, 2012,<ref name="Bulletin 5252012"/> with the rest following on a weekly basis. The series' plot, occurring in the early days of the [[Human-Covenant War]] circa [[2526]],<ref name="THB 7.18.12">[http://halo.xbox.com/blogs/Headlines/post/2012/07/19/The-Halo-Bulletin-71812.aspx ''The Halo Bulletin: 7.18.12'']</ref> revolves around [[Thomas Lasky]], a young cadet at [[Corbulo Academy of Military Science]], and how [[John-117]] inspired him to eventually become a leader. Lasky is also a prominent character in ''[[Halo 4]]'' as a commander on the {{UNSCship|Infinity}}.<ref>[http://www.variety.com/article/VR1118053273 '''Variety''': '' 'Halo' Web series to bow before next game'']</ref> The name of the series, aside from being a reference to the [[UNSC frigate]] ''[[UNSC Forward Unto Dawn|Forward Unto Dawn]]'', is given new significance in the series as part a running motif based around [[Forward Unto Dawn (poem)|a poem]]. The series was known as ''Sleeper'' during pre-production.<ref name="Sparkast 14">[http://halo.xbox.com/Content/assets/en-us/Podcast/343Sparkast_014.mp3 ''343 Sparkast 014]''</ref>
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| ''Forward Unto Dawn'' is hosted on [[Halo Waypoint]] and [[Wikipedia:Machinima.com|Machinima.com]].<ref>[http://www.insidegamingdaily.com/2012/04/30/halo-4-live-action-series-to-debut-on-machinima-network/ '''Inside Gaming Daily''': ''IGDaily - Halo Live-Action Series - 4/30/12'']</ref> The ''Forward Unto Dawn Special Edition'', which contains the complete, film-length cut of ''Forward Unto Dawn'' as well as additional material, is included with the ''[[Halo 4 Limited Edition]]'' and is available via ''Halo Waypoint''.<ref name="thb5612">[http://www.halo.xbox.com/blogs/Headlines/post/2012/05/16/The-Halo-Bulletin-51612.aspx '''Halo Waypoint''': ''The Halo Bulletin 5.16.12'']</ref> The ''Special Edition'' was also released for download on [[Xbox LIVE]] on November 5, 2012 for 2,800 Microsoft points.<ref>[http://marketplace.xbox.com/en-CA/Product/Halo-4-Forward-Unto-Dawn-Special-Edition/f9954433-a8ee-4d85-800e-84cef8f9acc4 '''Xbox Live''': ''Halo 4: Forward Unto Dawn Special Edition'']</ref> The film cut was released on Blu-Ray and DVD on December 4, 2012.<ref name="thb101012">[http://blogs.halowaypoint.com/Headlines/post/2012/10/10/The-Halo-Bulletin-101012-.aspx '''Halo Waypoint''': ''The Halo Bulletin: 10.10.12'']</ref> Originally released on the MachinimaPrime YouTube channel, episodes 3-5 of the series were taken offline on YouTube some time following the release of the ''Special Edition'', but are back online in certain regions as of September 2013.<ref>[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WbBYG77VeCE '''YouTube''' - ''Halo 4: Forward Unto Dawn - Part 3 (Live-Action Halo Series)'']</ref>
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| ==Synopsis== | | ==Synopsis== |
| {{Spoiler}} | | {{Spoiler}}hey are caught in a firefight with [[Kig-Yar|Jackal]] snipers and Sullivan is wounded. After the Spartan neutralizes the Covenant sharpshooters, the group use the now-deceased [[Black|General Black]]'s [[M12 Light Reconnaissance Vehicle|Warthog]] to drive out of the academy toward the evac point. |
| ===Plot summary===
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| {{Main|l1=Webseries transcripts|1=Halo 4: Forward Unto Dawn/Transcripts}}
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| [[File:FUD - Hastati Squad.jpg|thumb|250px|[[Hastati Squad]] during a training exercise.]]
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| The series begins with [[Thomas Lasky]], [[executive officer]] of the {{UNSCShip|Infinity}}, picking up [[Cortana]]'s [[Emergency locator beacon|distress signal]] from the {{UNSCShip|Forward Unto Dawn}}, which has been adrift in space for four years. Learning that [[John-117|SPARTAN-117]] is aboard the ship, Lasky has a flashback to the events that led to him meeting the Spartan for the first time and how he inspired him to become a leader. The "present-day" segments, which feature clips of Cortana's inner monologues during her solitude aboard the ''Dawn'', serve as a framing device for the main narrative, which focuses on Thomas Lasky as a young freshman cadet in [[Corbulo Academy of Military Science]] on [[Circinius IV]] amidst the [[Insurrection]] circa [[2526]]. Organized into [[Hastati Squad]], a freshman unit in the class of 2529, Lasky expresses sympathy for the [[Insurrectionist]]s and shows a constant disregard for the orders of his superiors, resulting in Hastati receiving low combat scores and Lasky himself being shunned by the rest of the squad. Worse, his health declines rapidly during the school's mandatory acclimation to [[cryonics|cryosleep]], suffering blisters and a persistent cough.
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| [[File:CAMS - Lasky space elevator.jpg|250px|thumb|left|Lasky sitting near Corbulo Academy's space elevator.]]
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| In his spare time, Lasky replays video messages by his now-deceased brother [[Cadmon Lasky|Cadmon]], with whom he used to have regular video correspondence. Most of Lasky's classmates, particularly [[Walter Vickers]], are unrelenting in their provocation of Thomas, affirming their distaste for the freshman who fails to live up to the example set by his brother and his [[Lasky (colonel)|mother]], a [[UNSC Defense Force|UNSCDF]] [[colonel]] and former superior of CAMS professor, [[K. L. Mehaffey|Colonel Mehaffey]]. One of the few cadets sympathetic to him is [[Chyler Silva]], who attempts to encourage Thomas to be a better leader, and [[Michael Sullivan]], who cares little about his performance and focuses on hacking classified UNSC mission recordings, eventually uncovering footage recorded by a [[SPARTAN-II Program|Spartan]]'s helmet camera. Another Hastati Squad member, [[Junjie Chen]], struggles to live up to the expectations of his father and is concerned about Lasky's poor performance decreasing his combat scores. Frustrated by the verbal and minor physical harassment he receives from Vickers, Lasky eventually assaults his squadmate in the school's [[mess hall]]. Lasky mildly injures Vickers and only stops when Colonel Mehaffey intervenes. Despite Lasky's consistent misbehavior, the Colonel makes an effort to have him embrace the warrior culture of the UNSC and inspire him to become a better leader.
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| Mehaffey's efforts dawn on Lasky and he volunteers to lead Hastati moments prior to the start of their final combat exercise, a contest of [[Capture the Flag]]. While waiting for [[Zuma Squad]] to approach their flag's location, Lasky organizes Hastati into cover in a tight formation adjacent their flag, a seemingly ill-tactical maneuver. Lasky orders his men to remove their [[CH252 helmet|helmets]] as they contain [[Identification friend or foe|IFF transponders]] detectable by the enemy's [[motion tracker|motion sensors]]. With Zuma converging on Hastati's flag, Lasky positions his squad in a formation reminiscent of the [[Wikipedia:Pincer movement|pincer movement]], a tactic utilized to great effect by [[Wikipedia:Hannibal|Hannibal]] at [[Wikipedia:Battle of Cannae|Cannae]] in 216 BCE, taught to the freshman cadets only a day before the exercise by Col. Mehaffey. Funneled into a trap, the enemy cadets are eliminated or captured by two sections of Hastati cadets, with Hastati suffering no casualties of their own in the process. An emboldened Lasky, charging towards Zuma's flag, finally succumbs to his ailing health and collapses meters away from completing the objective.
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| Lasky wakes up and is informed by [[Hughes|Dr. Hughes]] that his condition is an allergic reaction to the cryo drug [[cytoprethaline]], which is vital for cryo-sleep to prevent damage to cells. Resting in his room, Lasky wakes up to see Chyler sitting beside him and watching his recordings. She urges him to stop wallowing in his brother's death and expresses concern for his condition; she also reveals that Hastati Squad was victorious in the capture the flag exercise, congratulating Lasky for his tactical maneuver. Lasky and Silva then join the rest of Hastati Squad to watch the classified recordings Sullivan has pieced together. To the great bemusement of the cadets, the footage shows [[SPARTAN-II Program|large soldiers]] in [[MJOLNIR Powered Assault Armor|unfamiliar armor]], fighting [[Covenant|unknown hostiles]] alongside Insurrectionists. The cadets are shocked by the soldiers appearance, although Silva is more surprised that the UNSC would be fighting alongside the Insurrectionists. Shortly afterward, Lasky learns that because of the severity of his cytoprethaline allergy, he is offered the choice for a medical discharge. The following night, Lasky reveals this to Silva, who professes that she will miss him if he leaves. The two kiss but are interrupted as an evacuation alarm goes off.
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| Lasky and Silva join the rest of Hastati Squad in a queue for the academy's [[space elevator]], while [[Orbital Drop Shock Troopers]] drop in to the academy grounds. The stress of waiting proves too much for [[Dimah Tchakova]], who against the orders of their squad leader [[April Orenski]] rushes in front of the queue and invokes her mother's position to allow a Marine to let her in the next elevator car. As the car ascends, the rest of the cadets watch in horror as three [[SDV-class heavy corvette|alien ships]] appear in the clouds and one of them opens fire on the space tether. The tether's lower structure collapses on the building and the members of Hastati Squad barely escape the destruction.
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| The cadets make their way through the embattled academy campus and Lasky witnesses Col. Mehaffey being killed by [[Type-33 Guided Munitions Launcher|Needler]] fire. Hastati Squad regroups in Lasky's dorm room, but they are forced to move out as a [[Sangheili Zealot]] approaches, methodically slaughtering other cadets in their rooms. As the Elite enters another room, the cadets make a break for it with Chen taking point; however, Chen is killed by a [[active camouflage|camouflaged]] Zealot. The other cadets manage to escape to the armory and seal the [[door]], with Lasky raising a distress beacon. The Elite eventually breaks through the armory's door and the cadets hide, Vickers being separated from the others. As the Elite closes in on the cadets' hiding spot, Vickers attempts to distract it to allow the others to escape but is promptly killed. The other cadets are only saved by the timely arrival of [[John-117]], who kills the Zealot by stabbing it in the back.
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| [[File:FUD - Chief n cadets.jpg|thumb|250px|The surviving cadets meet John-117.]]
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| The Spartan reveals that Lasky, Silva, Orenski and Sullivan are the only survivors on the entire planet and that they are to be evacuated; they will join with the rest of the [[Blue Team|Spartan team]] at the rendezvous point. Making their way outside, they are caught in a firefight with [[Kig-Yar|Jackal]] snipers and Sullivan is wounded. After the Spartan neutralizes the Covenant sharpshooters, the group use the now-deceased [[Black|General Black]]'s [[M12 Light Reconnaissance Vehicle|Warthog]] to drive out of the academy toward the evac point.
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| The Warthog is ambushed by Jackals on the journey and becomes irreparably damaged, and the squad is forced proceed on foot. Silva realizes that she has taken a [[Type-33 Guided Munitions Launcher|needler]] round to the stomach; the squad flees into the jungle as the Chief engages and kills a single Hunter. With all [[biofoam]] having been used to treat Sullivan's leg, however, Silva dies shortly afterwards. Having ran out of ammunition during the previous fight, the Spartan plans to distract the second Hunter while the cadets run to safety. Distraught at Silva's death, Lasky volunteers to take the Chief's place. As the Hunter is focusing on Lasky, the Chief successfully uses a [[M9 High-Explosive Dual-Purpose grenade|grenade]] to neutralize the walking tank. The battered team makes it to the rendezvous point at dawn, where they are picked up by a Pelican carrying [[Kelly-087]] and [[Fred-104]]. The Chief commends Lasky for valor under fire, and gives him an armor fragment from the Hunter as a memento. | | The Warthog is ambushed by Jackals on the journey and becomes irreparably damaged, and the squad is forced proceed on foot. Silva realizes that she has taken a [[Type-33 Guided Munitions Launcher|needler]] round to the stomach; the squad flees into the jungle as the Chief engages and kills a single Hunter. With all [[biofoam]] having been used to treat Sullivan's leg, however, Silva dies shortly afterwards. Having ran out of ammunition during the previous fight, the Spartan plans to distract the second Hunter while the cadets run to safety. Distraught at Silva's death, Lasky volunteers to take the Chief's place. As the Hunter is focusing on Lasky, the Chief successfully uses a [[M9 High-Explosive Dual-Purpose grenade|grenade]] to neutralize the walking tank. The battered team makes it to the rendezvous point at dawn, where they are picked up by a Pelican carrying [[Kelly-087]] and [[Fred-104]]. The Chief commends Lasky for valor under fire, and gives him an armor fragment from the Hunter as a memento. |
