Everything You Need to Remember from Halo Season 1

Halo is poised to take Paramount+ by storm for its second season, almost two years after season 1 made its debut. Video game adaptations are always tricky, and the reception for Halo has certainly been divisive. It might not be universally loved like HBO’s The Last of Us, but if you’re on the hunt for a fun, immersive sci-fi series, Halo is it. It’s partially scratching that The Expanse itch for me. 

Full disclosure: I’m not an avid gamer. I’m approaching this as a fan of science fiction, Pablo Schreiber (Master Chief John-117), and Danny Sapani (Captain Jacob Keyes). Season 1 is a blast and a half, and the season finale cliffhangers set the stage for what’ll undoubtedly be an entertaining, visually stunning, and narratively captivating second season. 

In honor of the approaching second-season premiere, I’ve got a comprehensive breakdown of everything from season 1 you need to remember before tuning in on February 8. 

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Unlocking a Mystery

Master Chief John-117 leads the Silver Team, an elite squad of Spartans, to the planet Madrigal after the Covenant (a religious hegemony of multiple alien races) attacks a rebel outpost. They slaughter General Jin Ha, the father of teenager Kwan Ha, who escapes the deadly massacre unscathed as the sole survivor. While on Madrigal, Master Chief discovers The Artifact, an alien relic the Covenant was after. 

Master Chief (who I’ll refer to from here on out as MC) scoops up Kwan and takes her back to Reach, a planet that’s home to the UNSC (United Nations Space Command) Fleet Command (FLEETCOM) and is a military hub. 

As the Silver Team returns to Reach, MC touches The Artifact. He’s overcome with suppressed memories from his childhood. He knows the UNSC will want him to execute Kwan, but he can’t bring himself to do it. So, after his fellow Spartans Kai-125, Vannak-134, and Riz-028 exit the ship, MC hijacks it. He and Kwan travel to The Rubble, where he hopes his old pal Soren, an ex-Spartan who escaped the program, will take the teen girl in.

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An Inexplicable Connection

Meanwhile, Makee, a human woman living among the Covenant in High Charity, their headquarters, learns that The Artifact is gone. She also boasts a strange connection to it. The Covenant refers to her as the Blessed One regarding said connection. They discover that MC, who they call “Demon,” has the same gift. Makee plans to track down The Artifact and kill Demon. Of course, she knows The Artifact is one of two pieces that unlock the “Halo.” 

Makee overtakes a UNSC ship and makes a beeline for Madrigal to sniff out where The Artifact was potentially taken. Elsewhere, Soren takes MC and Kwan to visit Reth, an imprisoned man with clairvoyant abilities and a vast knowledge of alien artifacts. He reveals that The Artifact is a keystone that acts as a portal, leading to the Halo. The Covenant covets it to alter the universe permanently, taking out humans in the process. Reth refers to MC as a “Blessed One,” too. 

Then, MC asks Soren to watch Kwan while he seeks more information regarding The Artifact. This requires him to return to Reach and face the wrath of the committee for not following orders. But let’s put a pin in ol’ MC’s journey for now…

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Kwan’s Story

Vinsher Grath, a UEG (Unified Earth Government) governor, overtakes Madrigal after General Ha’s death. He rules with an iron fist with approval from the UNSC. Kwan persuades Soren to accompany her to Madrigal so she can rejoin the revolution. While there, she learns all of her father’s generals, save one, are dead (unfortunately, Vinsher kills the last general later). After his ship is stolen and Kwan fails to pay him in a “sh*tload of deuterium,” Soren handcuffs Kwan to a motorbike before heading off to find a new ride. 

Later, the two part ways: Soren returns to The Rubble while Kwan remains on Madrigal, hell-bent on staying out of Vinsher’s way (he has a hefty bounty on her head). Kwan tries to find her purpose. She meets the women in the desert who knew her father. After ingesting a strange liquid, she trips, embarking on her own spiritual journey. The ghost of her father appears. He dubs her a Protector (like him). She must guard a portal in Madrigal. Soren, feeling remorse for leaving Kwan to her own devices while Vinsher hunts for her, returns to Madrigal. 

Vinsher and his goons track Kwan to the site where her father and his generals died during the Covenant attack. Thankfully, Soren arrives in time to help her out. They find a way to explode the outpost, effectively killing Vinsher and his crew. Making good on her word, Kwan gives Soren a ship and pays him the deuterium she owes him. She plans to stay on her home planet and revive the rebellion against the UNSC. Like father, like daughter. 

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Return to Reach

Now, we’re back with MC. He returns to Reach with The Artifact in tow, which excites Dr. Halsey, who created the Spartan Program. Upon arrival, MC removes a small pellet from his lower back, which regulates his emotions. Kai-125 watches him do this from afar. Ever loyal to the Master Chief, she removes her own pellet. Admiral Parangosky and the UNSC committee urge Halsey to find a way to keep MC under control. That’s when she unveils Cortana, a cloned version of herself. She extracts Cortana’s “brain” and implants it into MC, hoping this AI version of herself will keep MC in check. MC can call upon Cortana, and she’ll appear as an animated-esque hologram. 

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Eridanus II

Next, Halsey, Cortana, and Halsey’s associate Adun accompany MC to Eridanus II, an uninhabitable planet where MC lived as a child. His parents worked in the Reach for Life project on said planet. The more MC comes into contact with The Artifact, the more his childhood memories resurface. While on Eridanus, MC explores his now-abandoned home. According to Halsey, MC’s parents died on Eridanus from a virus. MC unearths a chest full of drawings that his father made him bury. These sketches are of the second, larger Artifact. 

This leads MC and Halsey to this bigger Artifact, the second part of the keystone that unlocks the Halo. We see a few flashbacks while the crew is on Eridanus. One features Halsey with her then-husband, Captain Jacob Keyes, who oversees MC on Reach. The pair get a tour of the Reach for Life school, presumably as a potential place for their daughter Miranda (now a doctor at FLEETCOM). Halsey observes as a young MC saves his classmate. 

Another flashback sees Halsey chatting with MC in his family kitchen while his parents are there. However, what really takes MC aback is experiencing a memory of Halsey kidnapping him when he was a child. More on that later. 

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War (What Is It Good For?)

Next, the UNSC crew, including Captain Keyes, Dr. Miranda Keyes, and the Silver Team, arrive on Eridanus to extract the second Artifact. MC pulls Kai aside, having noticed her behavioral changes. He knows she removed her pellet and orders her to sit this one out, explaining that she’s compromised because she now has emotions. 

Suddenly, the Covenant and Makee (I didn’t forget about her!) drop on the UNSC. MC and the Spartans battle the aliens in some epic action sequences. Kai, overwhelmed by her new emotions, freezes during the fight. As MC swoops in to save her, he loses the second Artifact. The Covenant scoops it up, leaving Makee in its wake. She pretends to be a human who was held captive by the Covenant. 

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A Scapegoat

Later, the UNSC committee is crying for a scapegoat regarding MC’s erratic behavior, the UNSC losing the second Artifact to the enemy, and Makee, their new guest. Admiral Parangosky has been butting heads with Dr. Halsey for years, so naturally, she’s the top choice. Parangosky and Halsey hatch a plan to throw the latter under the bus. Halsey discloses everything she knows to MC while Miranda, Captain Keyes, and Parangosky watch (via a device while unconscious to remain undetected). 

Halsey admits to kidnapping MC when he was six years old, along with the other Spartans, so that she could augment and experiment on them. She planted flash clones of them with their families. These clones would later die of an “undiagnosed” seizure disorder. Miranda is horrified to learn that her father knew about her mother’s crimes. 

Afterward, Parangosky turns the tables by banishing Halsey to the Barrier Moons, revoking her credentials and status on Reach. Then, she promotes Miranda to head Halsey’s old division. 

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The Blessed Ones Meet

Next, MC and Makee finally meet. Makee is pretty forthcoming. She informs him that the Covenant plans to transport the second larger Artifact to one of their planets in the Aspero system. Captain Keyes orders his crew to locate it. Meanwhile, Miranda discovers that MC and Makee are two of a billion — they possess identical markers that predispose them to have this connection to the Artifacts. 

MC begs Miranda to give him access to the first Artifact even though prolonged contact with it slowly kills him. MC gives Cortana the boot as he can’t trust that she won’t switch allegiances to Halsey, her maker. MC goes into shock while touching The Artifact, as does Makee. Both of their bodies start to shut down. Despite being trapped in her room, Halsey and Adun find a way via Cortana to observe what’s happening to MC and Makee. At one point, MC and Makee meet in a beautiful pasture where a massive ring, AKA the Halo, encircles them. 

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Growing Closer 

Later, MC and Makee get it on, which is the natural progression when you’re two of a billion. Meanwhile, Miranda has spent most of the season trying to translate the last radio transmission from that UNSC ship that Makee hijacked. It’s in Sangheili, which is the universal language of the Covenant. Miranda discovers that the voice speaking Sangheili is none other than Makee. At that moment, Makee plans to accompany MC to the Covenant planet to retrieve the second Artifact. Once she’s outed, though, Makee touches the first Artifact, blowing up part of the UNSC headquarters. 

Halsey, who’s on her ship and preparing for her banishment to the Barrier Moons, orders the Silver Team to subdue MC. Before that, Vannak-134 and Riz-028 take out Kai. Unfortunately for Halsey, Kai frees herself from her restraints and barges onto Halsey’s ship. She kills Adun before Halsey finds an escape route, leaving Kai to die in a crashing ship. Thankfully, Kai emerges from the wreckage unscathed. She’s a Spartan, through and through. 

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Silver Team, Roll Out

Then, MC persuades Riz and Vannak to side with him (we can assume they removed their pellets as well) after revealing that Halsey kidnapped them. Captain Keyes admits to them his knowledge of their kidnappings. Cortana betrays Halsey, revealing her refusal to take over MC’s body as was the original plan. However, she wants to help him on his next mission. 

Meanwhile, we learn from the Covenant Council that they plan to sacrifice Makee after she combines the two Artifacts, creating a map to the Halo. However, those plans are somewhat interrupted when the Spartans arrive. Initially, they seem to be kicking ass. But the Covenant have a few aces up their collective sleeve. During this massive fight sequence, Kai kills Makee, much to MC’s dismay. 

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A Non-Hostile Takeover

MC summons Cortana, asking her to seize control of his body so he can fight off the Covenant’s army, save his friends, and retrieve both Artifacts (Makee brought the first one from Reach). Cortana hesitantly obliges after MC allows himself to die at the hands of a massive alien dude. So, Cortana grabs the reins, effectively defeating the Covenant’s army, saving the Spartans, and snagging both Artifacts before departing the planet. The Covenant ain’t happy, y’all. They need that map to find the Halo! 

Meanwhile, Miranda and Captain Keyes are under the impression that Dr. Halsey is on her deathbed after the team finds her. She’s fatally wounded. However, Miranda recalls something her mother said to MC about flash clones. As it turns out, Halsey planted a clone of herself while she fled. We see Halsey embarking on a new journey as she continues her research on extending the human life span. She believes the Halo is the key ingredient to transcendence. 

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What were your favorite moments from Halo season 1? What do you hope to see in season 2? Join other Spartans at side.show/geekgroup or in the Sideshow Social Network, and don’t forget to Let Your Geek Sideshow!