Precursor: Difference between revisions

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{{Era|Forerunner}}
{{Era|H3}}
{{ratings}}
{{ratings}}
{{Covenant Species Infobox
|name        = Precursor
|homeworld    = Unknown
|height      = Very Large
|weight      =
|skincolor    =
|distinctions = *4 upper limbs
*2 legs
*Flat head shaped like an arthropod
*Long tail from back of head with 2 meter barb
|equipment    =
|types        =
|affiliation  =
|notable      = Prisoner on Pre-Human world
|othernames  =
}}


The '''Precursors''' were a race preceding and mythologized by the [[Forerunner]], being theoretical "Transsentient" beings, having the ability to travel among galaxies and accelerate the evolution of intelligent life. The Precursors reached a level of technological sophistication that dwarfed even the Forerunners, capable of creating nearly invulnerable artifacts that could withstand the stresses of a planet's mantle or even connect two planets. The Forerunners considered the Precursors to be Tier 0 on their [[Technological Achievement]] scale, transsentient beings similar to gods, able to travel across entire galaxies and responsible for accelerating the evolution of sentient life<ref>[[Bestiarum]], page 26: '''''Tier 0: Transsentient''' As the [Forerunners] had no examples of civilizations with technological accomplishment greater than themselves - with the exception of the Precursors - this is a theoretical ceiling. They can travel intergalactic and accelerate evolution of intelligent life. These may be creatures of legend.''</ref>. These are largely the result of the Forerunners' own mythology, however, and while the Precursors were certainly advanced the fact that so little survived their disappearance means that it is difficult to gauge ''how'' advanced they really were.<ref>'''Halo: Cryptum'''</ref>
The '''Precursors''' were mentioned in the [[Bestiarum]] as the race preceding and mythologized by the [[Forerunner]], being theoretical "Transsentient" beings, having the ability to travel among galaxies and accelerate the evolution of intelligent life. The Precursors achieved a higher level technological advancement than the Forerunners, being Tier-0, or Transsentience on the Forerunners' [[Technological Achievement]] Scale.<ref>[[Bestiarum]], page 26: '''''Tier 0: Transsentient''' As the [Forerunners] had no examples of civilizations with technological accomplishment greater than themselves - with the exception of the Precursors - this is a theoretical ceiling. They can travel intergalactic and accelerate evolution of intelligent life. These may be creatures of legend.''</ref>


==History==
==History==
Even less is known about the Precursors than about the Forerunners, but information from the logs stored in the [[Terminals]] around the [[Ark]] indicate that the Forerunners believed that the '[[Mantle]]' (guardianship of the galaxy and all life) was handed down from "legends of the past": the Precursors. From a Forerunner perspective, the passing of the mantle secured the Precursors' legacy in the form of the Forerunners, continuing their work after they departed, much in the same way Forerunners viewed [[human|humanity]] before the activation of the [[Halo Array|rings]]. The Forerunners believed the Precursors had shaped the Forerunner in their own image, and some even suggested that they may have done the same with humans<ref name="cryptum1">'''[[Halo: Cryptum]]''', ''Chapter 1''</ref>. Most of this is mythology, some perhaps with a historical basis and most invented to explain unknown information. According to the [[Prisoner of Charum Hakkor]], rather than disappear after passing on their Mantle, the Precursors created the Forerunners millions of years before, who rose up and [[Forerunner-Precursor war|ruthlessly destroyed]] their creators, facts that are at odds with the supposed pacifism of the Mantle.<ref>'''Halo: Cryptum''': ''Chapter Forty Two'' - {{quote|I am the last of those your kind rose up against and ruthlessly destroyed''.|The Prisoner of Charum Hakkor}}</ref>
Not much is known about them, but information that can be found by text from the logs stored in the [[Terminals]] around the [[Ark]] indicates it is possible that the Forerunner '[[Mantle]]' (Guardians of the Galaxy and all life) was handed down from "legends of the past": the Precursors. It has been presumed that the Precursors viewed the Forerunners as their own legacy, continuing their work after they departed, much in the same way Forerunner lifeworkers (including the greatest lifeworker: the Librarian) viewed [[Human|Humanity]] before the activation of the [[Halo Array|rings]]. Having obtained the status of Tier-0, it is likely that the Precursors can travel between galaxies.


==Physiology== 
Precursors are described as "very large", with 4 upper limbs and 2 legs. Also having an "ugly head shaped like [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arthropod arthropods]" - like spiders or crabs - they have oval, faceted slanted eyes and a "flat face". Coming from the back of the head is a long tail with a 2 meter barb coming out of it. Whether this is the way all Precursors look has yet to be revealed, but this is the way the prisoner on a Pre-Human world is described.
All that is known about the Precursors' appearance is based upon the prisoner at Charum Hakkor, the last known Precursor. Precursors were massive in size; the mold encapsulating the [[Prisoner of Charum Hakkor]] outlined a being approximately fifteen meters tall and eleven meters wide. They were vaguely humanoid, with four arms, two legs and an insectoid head. A long, segmented "tail" was attached to the base of the skull, tipped with a meter-long barb. Each hand had three fingers and a central opposable thumb.


The face of a Precursor has been likened to that of a [[wikipedia:eurypterid|eurypterid]], or "sea scorpion." Their heads were flattened, with oval compound eyes and (presumably) mandibles or similar mouth parts.
It is also revealed that this prisoner is the last known Precursor, and that every other Precursor had been ruthlessly killed in a Forerunner-Precursor war almost 150,000 years before the events of Halo and that their answer is at hand - implying that a Proto-Flood form (described as a fine dust, contained in hundreds of glass cylinders) were created as revenge or as a failsafe.


==Technology==
"''We meet again, young one. I am the last of those that gave you breath and shape and form, millions of years ago.''
Some Precursor artifacts were known to precede the Forerunners by hundreds of millions of years, and were sometimes cycled inside planets' crusts by plate tectonics.<ref>'''Halo: Cryptum''', ''Chapter 2''</ref> Precursor artifacts were often encountered by the [[Miner]]s, who obtained and recorded them but rarely held any particular interest in them. The most coveted Precursor artifact among the Forerunners was known as the [[Organon]], which was believed to be capable of activating all other Precursor artifacts.<ref name="cryptum1"/>


Precursor technology was amazingly durable, and was almost totally impervious to all forms of conventional damage. However, the [[Halo Array]]'s energy pulse has been shown to be able to utterly destroy Precursor structures. When Charum Hakkor was used as a test bed for one of the Halos, the weapon's firing shattered every Precursor artifact on the planet.
''I am the last of those your kind rose up against and ruthlessly destroyed. ''


Precursor technology is believed to be based on what Forerunners called "[[Neural physics|Neural Physics]]": The concept that inanimate matter and thought are inextricably linked. It is theorized that the Halo Array, being neurological weapons, are the one few ways to destroy or otherwise damage Precursor artifacts. This could also explain the lack of any Precursor ruins in modern society (circa 2552 CE) as most, if not all, would have been destroyed when the Halo Array fired and sterilized the galaxy at the end of the [[Forerunner-Flood War]].
''I am the last Precursor.''
 
''And our answer is at hand''."
 
While this is official canon, as the book was written with assistance from 343 industries and Bungie Studios, it would seem to contradict the account of events as described by the [[Terminals]] from Halo 3. For in Halo: Cryptum it is discovered that the Didact spoke with this last Precursor. Yet in the [[Terminals]] the Didact is answering the Librarian saying that the mantle has not failed them (he is referencing the Forerunners, his own species). He further says that "We can halt this thing!" (Note that he is referring to the flood) "And follow in Their footsteps." Since he is talking about the forerunners inheriting the mantle from the Precursors, and following in their footsteps in that manner, it would conflict with the canon in the book. Therefore it may be inferred that the Flood were created as a failsafe, but slipped beyond Precursor control. It is also important to note that the humans have been identified as the descendants of the Precursors in [[Halo: Contact Harvest]], meaning that the surviving Forerunners could have recognized this, referring to the early humans (who had managed to defeat the Flood with their [[San 'Shyuum]] allies) as if they were Precursors.


==Trivia==
==Trivia==
*The term Precursor means "one that precedes and indicates the approach of another." The term supports that it surpassed the Forerunner.
*The term Precursor means "one that precedes and indicates the approach of another." The term supports that it surpassed the Forerunner.
*The Precursors were the only known civilization to exceed the Forerunner in technological advancement.
*The Precursors were the only known&nbsp;civilization to achieve Tier 0 of the Forerunner [[Technological Achievement Tiers]] and to exceed the Forerunner in technological advancement.
*The Latin root word "trans" means "across" or "beyond." "Sentience" is the ability to experience sensation, and is often used to imply sapience, the ability to think. A transsentient being may thus be considered beyond any recognized being and be on the level of godhood.
*The Latin root word "trans" means "across" or "beyond." "Sentience" is the ability to experience sensation, and is often used to imply sapience, the ability to think. A transsentient being may thus be considered beyond any recognized being and be on the level of godhood.
*In [[Halo: The Fall of Reach|''Halo: The Fall of Reach'']], [[Dr. Halsey]] uses the term Precursor to describe the alien race that created the crystal found on [[Sigma Octanus IV]].
*In [[Halo: The Fall of Reach|''Halo: The Fall of Reach'']], [[Dr. Halsey]] uses the term Precursor to describe the alien race that created the crystal found on [[Sigma Octanus IV]].
==List of appearances==
*There is a possibility that the Precursors may have looked like or been what we call sea scorpions or eurypterids, as described by the Didact in the book Halo: Cryptum.
*[[Bestarium]] {{1st}} {{Mo}}
*The Precusors' concept of Neural Physics is very similar to the Jedi's belief of The Force in the Star Wars universe.
*''[[The Forerunner Saga]]''
*There is a possibility that (according to the prisoner) the flood was created by the precursors, and would explain why it first came from a different galaxy from a possible long term Precursor revenge plan, and not from an intergalactic flood colony. If this is true, then it means that no flood colony in the halo series has ever gotten past interplanetary stage.
**''[[Halo: Cryptum]]''


==Sources==
==Sources==
<references/>
<references/>
[[Category:Precursor| ]]
[[Category:The Forerunner]]
[[Category:Factions]]
[[Category:Factions]]
[[Category:Living Organisms]]

Revision as of 07:20, May 14, 2011

Template:Ratings Template:Covenant Species Infobox

The Precursors were mentioned in the Bestiarum as the race preceding and mythologized by the Forerunner, being theoretical "Transsentient" beings, having the ability to travel among galaxies and accelerate the evolution of intelligent life. The Precursors achieved a higher level technological advancement than the Forerunners, being Tier-0, or Transsentience on the Forerunners' Technological Achievement Scale.[1]

History

Not much is known about them, but information that can be found by text from the logs stored in the Terminals around the Ark indicates it is possible that the Forerunner 'Mantle' (Guardians of the Galaxy and all life) was handed down from "legends of the past": the Precursors. It has been presumed that the Precursors viewed the Forerunners as their own legacy, continuing their work after they departed, much in the same way Forerunner lifeworkers (including the greatest lifeworker: the Librarian) viewed Humanity before the activation of the rings. Having obtained the status of Tier-0, it is likely that the Precursors can travel between galaxies.

Precursors are described as "very large", with 4 upper limbs and 2 legs. Also having an "ugly head shaped like arthropods" - like spiders or crabs - they have oval, faceted slanted eyes and a "flat face". Coming from the back of the head is a long tail with a 2 meter barb coming out of it. Whether this is the way all Precursors look has yet to be revealed, but this is the way the prisoner on a Pre-Human world is described.

It is also revealed that this prisoner is the last known Precursor, and that every other Precursor had been ruthlessly killed in a Forerunner-Precursor war almost 150,000 years before the events of Halo and that their answer is at hand - implying that a Proto-Flood form (described as a fine dust, contained in hundreds of glass cylinders) were created as revenge or as a failsafe.

"We meet again, young one. I am the last of those that gave you breath and shape and form, millions of years ago.

I am the last of those your kind rose up against and ruthlessly destroyed.

I am the last Precursor.

And our answer is at hand."

While this is official canon, as the book was written with assistance from 343 industries and Bungie Studios, it would seem to contradict the account of events as described by the Terminals from Halo 3. For in Halo: Cryptum it is discovered that the Didact spoke with this last Precursor. Yet in the Terminals the Didact is answering the Librarian saying that the mantle has not failed them (he is referencing the Forerunners, his own species). He further says that "We can halt this thing!" (Note that he is referring to the flood) "And follow in Their footsteps." Since he is talking about the forerunners inheriting the mantle from the Precursors, and following in their footsteps in that manner, it would conflict with the canon in the book. Therefore it may be inferred that the Flood were created as a failsafe, but slipped beyond Precursor control. It is also important to note that the humans have been identified as the descendants of the Precursors in Halo: Contact Harvest, meaning that the surviving Forerunners could have recognized this, referring to the early humans (who had managed to defeat the Flood with their San 'Shyuum allies) as if they were Precursors.

Trivia

  • The term Precursor means "one that precedes and indicates the approach of another." The term supports that it surpassed the Forerunner.
  • The Precursors were the only known civilization to achieve Tier 0 of the Forerunner Technological Achievement Tiers and to exceed the Forerunner in technological advancement.
  • The Latin root word "trans" means "across" or "beyond." "Sentience" is the ability to experience sensation, and is often used to imply sapience, the ability to think. A transsentient being may thus be considered beyond any recognized being and be on the level of godhood.
  • In Halo: The Fall of Reach, Dr. Halsey uses the term Precursor to describe the alien race that created the crystal found on Sigma Octanus IV.
  • There is a possibility that the Precursors may have looked like or been what we call sea scorpions or eurypterids, as described by the Didact in the book Halo: Cryptum.
  • The Precusors' concept of Neural Physics is very similar to the Jedi's belief of The Force in the Star Wars universe.
  • There is a possibility that (according to the prisoner) the flood was created by the precursors, and would explain why it first came from a different galaxy from a possible long term Precursor revenge plan, and not from an intergalactic flood colony. If this is true, then it means that no flood colony in the halo series has ever gotten past interplanetary stage.

Sources

  1. ^ Bestiarum, page 26: Tier 0: Transsentient As the [Forerunners] had no examples of civilizations with technological accomplishment greater than themselves - with the exception of the Precursors - this is a theoretical ceiling. They can travel intergalactic and accelerate evolution of intelligent life. These may be creatures of legend.
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