Early Halo 2 script

This article is part of a series on
Halo 2 cut content

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Cut content

Early script
Cut dialogue
Cut enemies and ambient life
Cut equipment
Cut gamemodes
Cut levels
Cut vehicles
Cut weapons

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Development

Halo 2 development
Concept art
Design documentation
Storyboards
Title updates
E3 campaign demo
E3 multiplayer demo

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To check out cut content for other Halo games, see here!

v • d • e

The early cinematic script.

In the Behind the Scenes show on the DVD that comes with the Limited Collector's Edition of Halo 2, Joseph Staten flips rapidly through an early cinematic script of Halo 2. All that can be transcribed is here. The undecipherable material has been denoted by question marks.

Note that "Dervish" was an early word for "Arbiter".

The Script

First Page

The first page.

(x01_1) EXT. SPACE - NEAR RUINS OF ALPHA HALO

A white title fades onto the black screen.

On and on shall old war go,

Without respite my blood will flow

O’er your eyes ‘til they cannot see

The impossibility of victory.

--Excerpt from the Writ of Union

Unknown Covenant Author

The title fades away, leaving a BLACK SCREEN. Beat.

FADE IN on the massive Covenant Holy City, "High

Charity", hanging on orbit above the gas-giant,

"Threshold".

As the camera ZOOMS slowly forward, distant voices emit

from inside the High Charity’s Council-Chamber.

ELITE COMMANDER (V.O.)

There was only one.

PROPHET OF TRUTH (V.O.)

One? Are you sure?

ELITE COMMANDER (V.O.)

Yes.

Beat.

ELITE COMMANDER (V.O.)

The Demon.

FADE IN

C205_20 INT. HIGH CHARITY – COUNCIL CHAMBER – CONT.

From the back, DOLLY PAST a row of seated PROPHET

COUNCILORS and toward the center of the Council Chamber. The

PROPHET COUNCILORS comment amongst themselves.

PROPHET COUNCILORS

(excited murmuring)

Other Pages

A glimpse of the scene.

GRUNT CACKLES

??? * He-re-tic *

??? too ??? hairy paw ??? the crowd ???.

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A glimpse of the scene.

??? - COMMAND DECK - CONT.

??? closed elevator door. The elevator comes to ??? audible ??? off-camera. ??? just as the CHIEF's elbow ??? The elevator door opens with a ??? MIRANDA exits the elevator, followed by MASTER CHIEF, JOHNSON ??? frozen in a painful wince.

??? on the Command Deck. Station ??? tasks with quick determination. They have a ??? win.

MIRANDA, MASTER CHIEF, and JOHNSON ??? center of the Command Deck where LORD HOOD ???

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"Holotank" Page

The "holotank" page.

CORTANA

The Covenant data I retrieved was

hardly decisive. How can ONI be so

certain?

?????????????????? away from the holo-tank on MIRANDA. She

??????????????? and JOHNSON can get a better idea. LORD

HOOD ????????

LORD HOOD

Station, bring up this

morning’s tac-record, timestamp

delta-four-eleven.

CLOSE ON the HOLO-TANK. Earth is in the center of the

tank. The COVENANT fleet is packed tightly together a

good distance away from Earth. The human fleet is

portrayed in a loose line between Earth and the Covenant

fleet.

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A glimpse of the scene.

LORD HOOD

??? Commander?

??? squares her shoulders. This is the ??? working for her whole career.

MIRANDA

Yes, sir!

??? smiles at MIRANDA. She’s just like her father. ??? toward the MASTER CHIEF.

LORD HOOD

Master Chief, you will lead the assault on the Covenant vessel.

ZOOM on the MASTER CHIEF and JOHNSON.

LORD HOOD (O. C.)

Sergeant Johnson and the In Amber Clad’s company of ODSTs will provide support.

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A glimpse of the scene.

??? an elite ??? they are trained for ??? "Human Entry Vehicles"

??? and is built to ??? a high-impact ??? line both sides of the ???

???. He stands by his HEV’s hatch ??? to jump-to-it.

JOHNSON

??? cans, sardines!

??? hustle past JOHNSON, grab hold of their ??? entry bars, and swing into position.

JOHNSON (O. C.)

I wanna hear those bindings pop!

???11) INT. IN AMBER CLAD – HEV – CONT.

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A glimpse of the scene.

??? EARTH – CONT.

??? "up" toward the camera. ??? ?-t's aft, rotates 180 degrees and, thrashing like a shark’s in bright water, ???? away from the camera.

??-ound, "beneath" the IN AMBER CLAD. The FLEET has visibly split to deal with the two-man attack.

???_17 INT. IN AMBER CLAD – HEV – CONT.

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A glimpse of the scene.

??? A hairy paw ???? loudly against the ???

??? He does not move.

ELITE COMMANDER

??? you call me out…

??? COMMANDER. He opens his eyes.

ELITE COMMANDER (CONT’D)

…if there were no wars?

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A glimpse of the scene.

??? all those ???, a Dervish.

??? PROPHET OF MERCY

PROPHET OF MERCY

??? will always be moments of crisis when honor matters less than swift resolution.

??? the PROPHET OF TRUTH.

PROPHET OF TRUTH

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A glimpse of the scene.

??? of ??? fighter is ??? for the best. The ???

???? Grunts at the second site. ????? the time they have found, but ????

???? ELITE at the third site. He takes a ??? the wars as the Grunt works.

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A glimpse of the scene.

WOUNDED ELITE

??? to you… Commander.

???? DERVISH. He smiles, and squeezes the ??? soldier.

???? background, the SPEC-OPS OFFICER is engaged in a ???? discussion with a life-size holographic image of the PROPHET OF TRUTH and the PROPHET OF MERCY.

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A glimpse of the scene.

???? and motions to the group of ????

BRACKTANUS

of the Hierarchs.???? saving this system.

, dumbfounded as TARTARUS ????? control room. The two BRUTE ????? lift the ????? them, and heft it away from the

??? is the DERVISH. Slowly, he raises his head to ???? that he has caught the MONITOR’S garland.

???? SLOW ZOOM toward the garland until one third ???? perimeter fills the right side of the frame.