Sangheili Major

Major
Function:	Ground assault/infantry; Defense;
Species:	Sangheili
Other role(s):	Starship second-in-command; Ossoona (temporary assignment);

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"Station and Salvation both command a heavy price."

— Sangheili Major's mantra.^[2]

Major, or Officer,^[2] is a Sangheili rank. Sangheili Majors are directly superior to their Minor counterparts.

Background

Majors are veteran warriors whose rank is directly above that of Sangheili Minors. They command groups of Minors as well as other Covenant races in ground combat situations. Additionally, the Majors also serve as the second-in-command positions aboard Covenant ships.^[3]^[4]

Only Majors can obtain the temporary rank of Ossoona, mainly due to the fact that more seasoned warrior prefers combat, not stealth, and a Minor is too inexperienced to become an Ossoona.^[1]

Physical appearance

Majors are clad in shades of red combat harnesses, comparable to the red armor of Unggoy Majors. In Halo: Combat Evolved, the color scheme of the harness is simply crimson. This color scheme has been extended to two variable colors in Halo 2, which featured bright-red and crimson, and in Halo 3, which featured metallic crimson and metallic maroon. Like the Minors in Combat Evolved, there are two differently shaped variations of the helmet for the Majors. The Forerunner symbols featured in Combat Evolved is absent in Halo 2 but is available in Halo 3.

The color scheme and the designs of the harness underwent some significant changes in Halo: Reach; the color scheme now covers at least three color variables (gold, orange and red). The Major in Reach now has its own unique armor design to differentiate the Major from other Sangheili ranks; the helmet differs greatly from the design of the Minors and is more decorative and elongated, and the pauldrons are slightly larger and more pronounced at the separated tips.

Combat

Majors are commonly seen in Halo: Combat Evolved, Halo 2 and Halo: Reach on the Heroic and Legendary difficulties. On Easy and Normal, their presence is minimal to none. They can be seen leading lances of Unggoy, Kig-yar and Minors. Equipped with approximately 50% stronger shields than their lower-ranked counterparts, Majors are competent and forceful warriors capable of overpowering their opponents, namely UNSC Marines and ODSTs although not necessarily. They are less likely to perform tactical errors when compared to the inferior Sangheili Minors; Majors would seek more cover and would fire their weapons with a greater accuracy and faster rate of fire, not to mention they would be more manouverable. However, they still make some tactical mistakes, as they tend not to seek cover in many occasions, even with their shields down.

Like the Minors, Majors usually wield plasma rifles, occasionally dual wielding them. In some scenarios, Majors would wield Carbines and Needlers.

Trivia

As seen in an early trailer for Halo: Combat Evolved, Sangheili Majors were originally supposed to wield a point defense gauntlets.
The Majors' combat harness, referred to as the Sangheili Officer Harness, is available as a Sangheili armor permutation in multiplayer as a reward for buying the Halo: Reach Limited or Legendary editions.^[5]
It is a common mistake by fans that the full name for this rank is "Major Domo". This was brought on from Halo: Ghosts of Onyx, which makes a reference to a "Major Domo Sangheili".^[6] "Majordomo" is a real-world term for the head of a family in an aristocracy. It is confirmed that the title and the rank are separate, as it is mentioned on the next page that Sangheili of the military rank are known as 'Majors'.^[7] Based on this, 'majordomo' could be considered an analogue for the Sangheili title of Kaidon.

Gallery

A group of Sangheili Majors and an Unggoy Major in Halo: Combat Evolved
A Major in Halo 2.
A Major in Halo 2 Vista.
A Major in Halo 3.
This image shows the color differentiation of the Major harness.
The Sangheili Officer armor permutation available with the purchase of the Limited and Legendary editions of Halo: Reach.
Two Army troopers firing upon an Officer as it is being assassinated by SPARTAN-B312.
A Halo: Reach pre-alpha image of a white Major.
ReachConcept EliteOfficer.png

Concept art of a Sangheili Major in Halo: Reach.
ReachConcept-Elite Major.png

Another concept of a Major in Halo: Reach.