Ur-Didact: Difference between revisions

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The '''Didact''', born '''Shadow-of-Sundered-Star''',{{Ref/Reuse|H4EVG}} is a [[Forerunner]] [[Promethean]] who held an extremely high status in the [[Ecumene|Forerunner society]] as [[protector of the ecumene]],<ref name="protector">'''Halo: Cryptum''', ''page 233''</ref> head of the [[Warrior-Servant]] [[rate]] and supreme commander of the entire Forerunner military.{{Ref/Game|Id=h3terminals|H3|Terminal (Halo 3)|Terminals}} He wholeheartedly believed in the [[Mantle]] the Forerunners held to protect life, and fervently opposed the [[Halo Array]] as a sin beyond measure. He was also the lover and husband of the [[Librarian]].

Originally thought to have been killed by the [[Master Builder]], [[Faber]],<ref name="c339">'''Halo: Cryptum''', ''page 339''</ref> the Didact effectively existed as two individuals during the final days of the [[Forerunner-Flood war]]; his original self, as well as his implanted consciousness within a young Forerunner known as Bornstellar Makes Eternal Lasting. To differentiate these two incarnations, the original Didact was referred to as the '''Ur-Didact''', while his other incarnation was known as the [[IsoDidact]].<ref name="amazon">[http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0765323982/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=heaprcom05-20&linkCode=as2&camp=217145&creativeASIN=0765323982 '''Amazon.com''': ''Halo: Silentium official description'']</ref> The Ur-Didact was eventually exiled on [[Requiem]], not to be awakened until [[2557]];<ref name="true Didact">[http://www.gregbear.com/blog/display.cfm?id=6897 '''Gregbear.com:''' ''HALO 4 DIDACT'']</ref> meanwhile, the IsoDidact served until the final days of the Flood conflict and was responsible for activating the Halo Array.{{Ref/Novel|Sil|Chapter=String 38}}  

After being released from his [[Cryptum]] many millennia later, the Ur-Didact resumed his war against humanity. [[SPARTAN-II program|Spartan]] [[John-117]] and [[Cortana]] fought him on [[Mantle's Approach|his ship]], and sent him falling into [[Slipstream space|slipspace]], seemingly defeating him. After surviving slipspace, John-117 faced him again, this time with the rest of [[Blue Team]]. After a long and perilous battle, the Ur-Didact's biological form was destroyed under the combined power of several [[Composer]]s. While he is considered "contained" by the [[Office of Naval Intelligence]], his digitized consciousness apparently survives.{{Ref/Reuse|waypoint didact}}

Born ''Shadow-of-Sundered-Star'', the Didact was a Promethean, a member of the highest and most powerful class of [[Warrior-Servant]]s. He was trained by [[Bitterness-of-the-Vanquished]], a legendary Promethean far older than the Didact himself.<ref>'''Halo: Silentium''', ''page 246''</ref> Early in his career, the [[Confirmer]] provided Shadow a [[Forerunner mutation|brevet mutation]] to a new [[form]].<ref>'''Halo: Cryptum''', ''page 178''</ref> He gained the name "Didact" while teaching at the [[College of Strategic Defense of the Mantle]]; his students gave him the name because they found him to be a strict and demanding teacher.<ref>'''Halo: Cryptum''', ''pages 227-228''</ref> As a cadet, he apprenticed on ''[[Deep Reverence]]''.<ref>'''Halo: Cryptum''', ''page 145''</ref>

The Didact was elevated to the rank of [[protector of the ecumene]] around 2,000 years before the war with the humans.{{Ref/Reuse|protector}} He had a romantic relationship with another Promethean commander, known as [[Endurance-of-Will]], and would most likely have married her had he not met the [[Librarian]], a [[Lifeworker]]. Despite the unconventional practice of marrying outside one's own rate, the Didact ultimately married the Librarian.<ref>'''Halo: Silentium''', ''pages 284, 290-291''</ref> They lived on [[Nomdagro]], a world populated mainly by Warrior-Servants, in a mansion designed by the Didact himself in a grandiose style traditional of Warrior-Servants.<ref>'''Halo: Silentium''', ''pages 49-50''</ref> They had several children, all of whom followed in their father's footsteps and became Warrior-Servants.<ref>'''Halo: Silentium''', ''page 219''</ref>

The Ur-Didact, lulled into a sense of security within his greatest fortress, was then confronted by the Librarian aboard the ''Mantle's Approach''. After a brief exchange, the Librarian incapacitated the Didact through force and placed him in a combat Cryptum previously maintained on ''Mantle's Approach''. Sealing the Cryptum in the core of Requiem, the Librarian hoped that the Ur-Didact would spend his time in meditation reflecting upon his past misdeeds, and that the damage wrought on his mind by the Gravemind would be corrected with the aid of contact with the [[Domain]].{{Ref/Reuse|string34}} Eventually, once awakened, the Didact might help humanity ascend to be the new caretakers of the galaxy by educating them on the Mantle as well as the Forerunners' technological achievements with the [[Janus Key]].{{Ref/Reuse|h4terminals}}<ref>'''Spartan Ops''', [[S1/Key|S1E9 ''Key'']]</ref> The Librarian sealed Requiem and took over the Promethean Knights stationed there,{{Ref/Reuse|h4terminals}} giving them orders to prevent the Ur-Didact from being reawakened until his meditation was complete.{{Ref/Reuse|h4}}

However, at the close of the Flood war, the Librarian learned the Domain's true nature as a Precursor creation, and that by activating the [[Halo Array]], the Domain would be lost along with all Precursor architecture. As the Halo Array was fired, the Domain was evidently destroyed and as a result, instead of his mind being healed in his meditation, the Ur-Didact would spend the next 100,000 years in complete silence, dwelling on his own insanity and rage.<ref>'''Halo: Silentium''', ''String 37''</ref>

{{Main|Skirmish on Installation 03}}

John-117 soon arrived in the Control Room with the ring's [[Activation Index]] and confronted the Didact; the Spartan explained that because the Didact could not be killed by conventional means a different approach must be taken. The Didact became puzzled when John inserted the Index into [[the Core]]; he asked why the Spartan would fire the ring just to eliminate him. John informed the Didact that he did not activate the ring's weapon, but instead disabled its safety protocols; this allowed the monitor to eject a large section of the ring containing the Control Room toward the Composer's Forge. The monitor rescued the Spartan while the Didact was subjected to the Composers' effects, disintegrating his body but storing his essence in digital form;{{Ref/Reuse|waypoint didact}} John later told [[Terrence Hood|Fleet Admiral Terrence Hood]] that he believed the Forerunner was merely "contained", not dead.{{Ref/Reuse|HE10}}{{Ref/Note|In ''Halo 4''{{'}}s Terminal Five, the Didact claims the Composer would not work on his new form, and in the level [[Midnight]] is seen levitating himself within the Composer's active beam. It is possible that the Didact was merely resistant to the effects of the Composer, rather than completely immune, as the energy released by the overlapping pulses of five Composers would be orders of magnitude greater than the energy released by a single pulse. In the Library Edition of ''Halo: Escalation'', however, it's stated by Brian Reed that the Ur-Didact wasn't composed but the explosion did do something to him.}} By [[2558]], the Office of Naval Intelligence was still vigilant about any sightings of the Didact, advising that any sighting of him must be reported to ONI immediately.{{Ref/Reuse|OSFM164}}

In July, 2557, [[343 Guilty Spark]], formerly the human [[Chakas]] who once helped release the Didact from his first exile, learned from [[Catalog]] that the Didact had tried to access the [[Domain]], but had been denied access by the ancilla.{{Ref/Novel|HRen|Chapter=31}} On September 1, Spark [[Mission to Mount Kilimanjaro|met with]] a personality imprint of the [[Librarian]] beneath [[Mount Kilimanjaro]]. The Librarian told Spark of the awakening of herself and the Didact on Requiem, but did not go into detail. Spark asked if the Didact was alive, only to have the Librarian's expression grow forlorn. Though the Librarian did not verbally respond, Spark deduced that the threat from the Didact was "not worrisome." Before they parted ways, Spark recognized that the Librarian's deepest desire was still for the Didact to find peace and asked her if it was possible. With great sorrow, the Librarian told Spark that she feared that her husband was beyond redemption.{{Ref/Novel|HRen|Chapter=48}} Sometime after his defeat by John, the Didact was imprisoned in the Domain,{{Ref/Game|Id=Doll|H5G|Forge/Halo 5: Guardians|Detail=[[Hidden toy|Didact toy]] description|Quote=Not all visitors to the Domain are strangers.}} reflecting on memories of his wife.{{Ref/Book|Halo: Adult Coloring Book|Page=41|Quote=After his defeat by the Master Chief and imprisonment in the Domain, the Didact reflects on memories of his wife, the Librarian.}}

Prior to his transformation, while dismissive of the potential for humans to take on the Mantle, the Didact also respected humans as warriors and regarded them as honorable, unlike their San'Shyuum allies who had surrendered earlier in the war.<ref>'''Halo: Cryptum''', ''page 134''</ref> In fact, he regarded them as the second greatest military power in the galaxy at the time. His respect for the humans was demonstrated when he met with his main opponent, [[Forthencho|Forthencho, the Lord of Admirals]], in person after the humans' defeat, speaking to him as a fellow warrior and reassuring him about the future despite humanity's grim predicament.{{Ref/Reuse|speech}} Furthermore, prior to being imprisoned after his fall from grace in the Ecumene Council, he stated that had the humans repented for their crimes, they would've been a civilization worthy of joining their own.<ref>'''Halo: Silentium''', ''page 54''</ref> Though disgusted to see [[Chakas]] as he looked too much like the humans who had nearly destroyed his fleets and murdered his children, the Didact was pleased to see [[Riser]], a [[Florian]]. The Didact commented that he had specifically requested that the [[Librarian]] save the Florians because he saw them as peaceful yet full of cleverness. However, the Didact made it clear that this just made them worthy pets to him.<ref name="c82">'''Halo: Cryptum''', ''page 82''</ref> The Didact also regarded [[John-117]] with some grudging respect for his determination and persistence in fighting him against impossible odds.{{Ref/Reuse|h4}}

The Ur-Didact appeared to regard Chakas and Riser, the two humans who accompanied Bornstellar, with relative indifference, viewing them as mere annoyances, though he tolerated them because they were part of his wife's plan and because he likely recognized the value of their [[mind transfer|personality imprints]]. When [[IsoDidact|Bornstellar]] became annoyed with the Didact's way of referring to the two as Bornstellar's humans, the Didact grudgingly adjusted his method of address for them. However, he was less than pleased initially at Chakas' form as it reminded him too much of the [[ancient humanity|ancient humans]] who had cost the Didact so much and stated that Chakas' presence provoked him as a result.{{Ref/Reuse|c82}}

The Didact possesses extraordinary neurological, mental and physical abilities bestowed by his senior Promethean [[form]]. One of these is the augmented state of perception known as "battle mode", splintering his perception of reality into several variable frames of reference with a slowed-down experience of time, granting him impressive multitasking abilities.<ref>'''Halo: Cryptum''', ''page 316''</ref> In hand-to-hand combat, he was capable of matching SPARTAN-II reaction times and was able to easily slaughter [[Black Team|a fireteam]] of them without weapons.{{Ref/Reuse|esc9}} Wearing his armor, he was capable of crushing a [[Z-180 Scattershot]] in his hand and severely damaging John-117's helmet, as well as throwing the [[MJOLNIR]]-armored Master Chief several meters through the air with force significant enough to knock another Spartan to the ground.{{Ref/Reuse|HE10}} The Didact adhered to the long-standing Warrior tradition of sharing all knowledge with his command staff of dozens as well as their [[ancilla]]s; indeed, he remarked that he was out of his element when working alone, preferring to have an expert crew with him at all times when leading operations.<ref>'''Halo: Cryptum''', ''page 139''</ref> During large-scale engagements, the Didact would also tap into the sensory input of thousands of his fellow Prometheans simultaneously and experience the battle from their respective viewpoints in addition to his own.<ref>'''Halo: Cryptum''', ''page 162''</ref> His memory is also incredibly accurate; while stranded on the Builder hulk in the [[Burn]], he was capable of reciting a verbal control code comprising 400 random nonsense words and non-integral numbers after thousands of years and without the aid of an ancilla.<ref>'''Halo: Silentium''', ''pages 82-83''</ref> After undergoing an experimental mutation in an attempt to become immune to the Flood, the Didact gained a new form that, while still susceptible to Flood infection, was no longer compatible with the Composer, thereby preventing him from joining his fellow Prometheans as a machine{{Ref/Reuse|h4terminals}} and allowing him to willingly levitate himself within a Composer's active beam without being affected at all.{{Ref/Reuse|midnight}} However, his incompatible physiology was not enough to save him from being composed by the simultaneous firing of several Composers.{{Ref/Reuse|HE10}}

The new form assumed by the Didact near the end of the Forerunner-Flood war, caused by a failed attempt to decipher Flood immunity,{{Ref/Reuse|h4terminals}} had a more grotesque, bestial appearance, with more pronounced facial features, much less prominent lips and the addition of large fangs. His eyes also became more deep-set and red as opposed to the original grayish blue, and his fur changed from pale blue to dark brown.{{Ref/Reuse|h4}}

*''[[Rebirth]]'' {{Mo}}

*''[[Vertical Umbrage]]'' {{Mo}}

*''[[Sunrise on Sanghelios]]'' {{Mo}}