Unggoy: Difference between revisions

===Induction into the Covenant===

In [[2142]], the Unggoy and their defenseless homeworld were discovered by the [[Covenant]]. Most species of the Covenant became incorporated due to faith or mutual beneficence, however the Unggoy were forced into lowly positions within the Covenant through force and aggressive conversion.<ref name="waypointarticle"/><ref>'''[[Halo 2: Anniversary]]''', ''[[Terminal/Halo 2: Anniversary|Terminal 10]]''</ref> The Unggoy were quickly conquered with little resistance and were the seventh species to be inducted into the empire. The species was quick to become one of the most devoted followers of the [[Covenant religion]] and the Great Journey.<ref>'''[[Halo: Broken Circle]]''', ''page 187''</ref> It even became a popular notion among the Unggoy, thanks to the thelogian, [[Ang'napnap the Enlightened]], that the Forerunners' pre-ascension forms were akin to their very own.<ref name="buzz">[https://www.halowaypoint.com/en-us/news/canon-fodder-buzz-generating '''Halo Waypoint''': ''Canon Fodder - Buzz Generating'']</ref> By the time of their discovery by the Covenant, the Unggoy homeworld was still recovering from its ecological collapse over a hundred millennia earlier, and the Unggoy's [[Technological Achievement Tiers#Tier 6: Industrial Age|Tier 6]] civilization had yet to return to its former state.<ref name="Bestiarum"/>

Being the lowest-ranked species of the Covenant, they are bitter rivals with the [[Kig-Yar]], who are also low-ranked. The higher-ranking races of the Covenant have often ignored this rivalry. The growing Unggoy population on [[High Charity]] forced Kig-Yar to relocate their homes to accommodate the Unggoy. The move put stress on Kig-Yar females, which led to an increase in infant mortality, while Unggoy that were forced to share habitats with the Kig-Yar occasionally trampled their nests, inadvertently. The breaking point came when [[Prophet of Truth|a junior staffer]] in the [[Ministry of Concert]] discovered evidence of the Kig-Yar planning to poison recreational narcotics the Unggoy enjoyed, which would have left them sterile. However, the [[Minister of Concert]] and the [[High Council]] refused to investigate the matter, as they were willing to accept several thousand sterile Unggoy rather than risk upsetting the Kig-Yar. The rising tensions with the Kig-Yar and the general disinterest from the other Covenant races led to the [[Unggoy Rebellion]] in [[2462]]. While the rebellion was ultimately put down thanks to [[Unidentified Arbiter (Unggoy Rebellion)|an Arbiter]] partially [[glassing]] Balaho, the Unggoy proved that they were not the cowards they had been long deemed, and could indeed be vicious fighters when provoked. After the uprising's conclusion, as was their tradition, the Sangheili forgave the surviving Unggoy and allowed them to enter the [[Covenant military]] as armed infantry units, rather than the unarmed cannon fodder as which they had previously served.<ref name="ch150">'''[[Halo: Contact Harvest]]''', ''pages 150-151''</ref><ref>'''[[Halo Encyclopedia]]''', ''pages 142, 153''</ref> The Unggoy rebelled several more times in Covenant history, including the [[Sixteenth Unggoy Disobedience]], which was quickly ended by the [[Ministry of Preservation]]'s [[Ripa 'Moramee]].<ref>'''[[Halo: The Essential Visual Guide]]''', ''page 10''</ref>

===Psychology and behavior===

Although other species generally regard the Unggoy as a dim-witted race, many have proven to be very intelligent, resourceful, and knowledgeable. Indeed, the general perception of the Unggoy being inherently unintelligent is almost certainly a result of their poor education and training within the Covenant.<ref name="waypointarticle"/> Unggoy are one of the most gregarious and sociable of the Covenant races and possess a very strong pack mentality, often associating with each other in groups. This numerical superiority and pack mentality allows for their sense of cultural identity to remain, despite a number of hardships, including their extreme subservience to the other races of the Covenant, as well as [[the dark time]] following [[reintroduction]] after the activation of the [[Halo Array]].<ref name="Bestiarum"/>

===Anatomy and physiology===

The taxonomic classification of the Unggoy has been a source of some confusion for the [[United Nations Space Command]]. Because they possess exoskeletons, they have been identified as being analogous to Earth arthropods; despite this, the Unggoy are actually a vertebrate species. The UNSC misclassified the species as arthropodal due to their physiological similarities to terrestrial arthropods; among other differences, the Unggoy circulatory system is apparently closed as opposed to the open systems characteristic of many arthropods.<ref name="THB 5.9.12"/> More accurately, the species should be considered xeno-arthropodal vertebrates which possess substantial—albeit hypothetical—genetic influences from primate-like amphibians that once dwelt in Balaho's [[Wikipedia:Aphotic zone|aphotic zones]]. This taxonomically incorrect nomenclature persists as late as [[2557]] as an ''ad hoc'' identifier, though the pressures of the Human-Covenant War and reconstruction have made such concerns trivial at best.<ref name="waypointarticle"/><ref name="THB 5.9.12"/>

Unggoy share a number of features with different animal species on [[Earth]]. Like primates, they walk both bipedally and with the aid of their oversized forearms. However, their bodies are armored with a hard exoskeleton as with crabs and insects. Their mouths have a set of small, pointed teeth, much like reptiles.<ref name="waypointarticle"/> Unggoy are on average about four to five feet tall and are relatively weak compared to other [[sentient|sapient]] species. The Unggoy have flat, three-toed feet, with another toe on the back of their feet. Although they can easily walk upright on two legs, they may often use their arms to move in a quadrupedal fashion. While carrying armaments, they are forced to walk upright so that they may support their weapons with their hands, but while trying to flee, or while patrolling without a weapon drawn, they use their over sized arms as forelegs to add speed or stability to their gait. Their eyesight<ref name="THB 5.9.12"/> and hearing are average, and seem to have a very well-developed sense of smell, sometimes sniffing the air to detect traces of foes or hidden enemies.<ref>'''[[Halo 2]]''', campaign level ''[[The Arbiter]]''</ref> This is facilitated through the olfactory membranes installed in their masks. Unggoy have over-sized forearms, while their upper arms and thighs are relatively small. This has allowed them to be quite excellent climbers over rocky terrain, although they are rather clumsy when walking upright. Their large arms help the Unggoy in hand-to-hand combat and scaling heights, but make movement around tight corridors or manipulation of small, delicate objects difficult. To protect themselves from the voracious predators of Balaho, the Unggoy have a rigid exoskeleton that is lined with sharp barbs that covers large portions of their backs, arms, and legs.<ref name="waypointarticle"/> They also have an astonishingly fast finger reflex speed, as they can fire a [[Type-25 plasma pistol|plasma pistol]] at almost the same rate a Sangheili can with a [[Type-25 plasma rifle|plasma rifle]].

==Culture==

Although the Unggoy culture has been largely wiped out as a result of constant indoctrination by the Covenant, they do retain a degree of their cultural identity as a result of their inherent tenacity. Of what is known, the Unggoy generally live in small, tribal societies which are typically defined as being matriarchal.<ref name="Bestiarum"/> On Balaho, Unggoy had to constantly produce food to ensure that they had enough stocked during the planet's winter seasons. On a near-daily basis, the corpses of those that succumbed to Balaho's plagues had to be burned to further prevent infections. Both of these problems were solved when the Unggoy were discovered by the Covenant.<ref name="ENC143"/> Unggoy universally agree that their species is embodied by three pillars: ruggedness, agility, and lethality.<ref name="buzz"/>

==Homeworld==

{{Main|Balaho}}

The Unggoy homeworld of [[Balaho]] is a temperate, swampy planet with a [[methane]] atmosphere and naturally occurring pillars of fire. The planet is orbited by two [[natural satellite]]s: [[Buwan]] and [[Padpad]]. A cold planet, temperatures on Balaho range from -33°C to 5°C (-27°F to 41°F).<ref name="Bestiarum"/> The cold season of their planet makes them highly covet any source of warmth and light they can find, mainly due to the "[[Blue Death|blue death]]".<ref name="goo237"/> The planet is still in process of recovery from a global ecological collapse before the activation of the Halo Array due to over-industrialization caused by the Unggoy at the time.<ref name="Bestiarum"/>