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{{Status|Canon}} | {{Status|Canon}} | ||
{{disambig header|the Covenant rank|other uses|Commander (disambiguation)}} | {{disambig header|the Covenant remnant rank|other uses|Commander (disambiguation)}} | ||
[[File:H2A Rtas-Ingame.png|300px|thumb|[[Rtas 'Vadum]], a Sangheili commander in [[Covenant Special Operations]].]] | [[File:H2A Rtas-Ingame.png|300px|thumb|[[Rtas 'Vadum]], a Sangheili commander in [[Covenant Special Operations]].]] | ||
'''Commander''' is a [[Covenant rank structure|military rank]] in the [[Covenant military|armed forces]] of the [[Covenant]], and the empire's [[Covenant remnants|remnants]]. The title is most typically held by the [[Sangheili]].{{Ref/Book|Id=Enc22|Enc22|Page=240}} Within the [[Post-Covenant War conflicts|post-war]] era, the rank of commander has seen prominent usage by [[Jul 'Mdama's Covenant]]{{Ref/Site|Id=Guide|URL=https://www.halowaypoint.com/en-us/intel/inteldetail/695c3af5-2897-4280-88db-8daa48d0337a/elite-commander-|Site=Halo Waypoint|Page=Halo 4 Interactive Guide - Enemies: Elite Commander|D=01|M=05|Y=2013|LocalArchive=Halo 4 Interactive Guide#Covenant}}{{Ref/Site|Id=H4Renders|URL=http://halo.xbox.com/en-us/Universe/Detail/character-enemy-renders/421563ab-3b18-4e29-8487-3dd79b627a70#imageNumber=16|Site=Halo Waypoint|Page=Characters & Enemy Renders|D=25|M=09|Y=2012}}, the [[Swords of Sanghelios]]{{Ref/Site|URL=https://www.megaconstrux.com/en-us/halo/sets/swords-sanghelios-combat-lance-dxf04|Site=MEGA Construx|Page=Swords of Sanghelios Combat Lance|D=04|M=09|Y=2022}} and even mercenary outfits such as [[Vata 'Gajat's mercenary group|that led]] by [[Vata 'Gajat | [[File:SangheiliCommander.png|300px|thumb|A Sangheili commander in [[Jul 'Mdama's Covenant]].]] | ||
'''Commander''' is a [[Covenant rank structure|military rank]] in the [[Covenant military|armed forces]] of the [[Covenant]], and the empire's [[Covenant remnants|remnants]]. The title is most typically held by the [[Sangheili]].{{Ref/Book|Id=Enc22|Enc22|Page=240}} Within the [[Post-Covenant War conflicts|post-war]] era, the rank of commander has seen prominent usage by [[Jul 'Mdama's Covenant]]{{Ref/Site|Id=Guide|URL=https://www.halowaypoint.com/en-us/intel/inteldetail/695c3af5-2897-4280-88db-8daa48d0337a/elite-commander-|Site=Halo Waypoint|Page=Halo 4 Interactive Guide - Enemies: Elite Commander|D=01|M=05|Y=2013|LocalArchive=Halo 4 Interactive Guide#Covenant}}{{Ref/Site|Id=H4Renders|URL=http://halo.xbox.com/en-us/Universe/Detail/character-enemy-renders/421563ab-3b18-4e29-8487-3dd79b627a70#imageNumber=16|Site=Halo Waypoint|Page=Characters & Enemy Renders|D=25|M=09|Y=2012}}, the [[Swords of Sanghelios]]{{Ref/Site|URL=https://www.megaconstrux.com/en-us/halo/sets/swords-sanghelios-combat-lance-dxf04|Site=MEGA Construx|Page=Swords of Sanghelios Combat Lance|D=04|M=09|Y=2022}} and even mercenary outfits such as [[Vata 'Gajat's mercenary group|that led]] by [[Vata 'Gajat]]. | |||
==Overview== | ==Overview== | ||
Within the Covenant of old, the rank of commander (and below it, [[sub-commander]]) allowed the Sangheili to maintain unit cohesion across species.{{Ref/Reuse|Enc22}} Within Covenant [[Covenant Special Operations|Special Operations]], Commanders led strike teams consisting of a sub-commander and several [[Special Operations Officer]]s{{Ref/Comic|Id=Succor|HGN|Story=The Last Voyage of the Infinite Succor}} - personnel serving in this role were sometimes termed "SpecOps Commanders".{{Ref/Generic|See the [[#Production notes|production notes]] section for more details}}{{Ref/Book|Id=Enc11|Enc11|Page=136}}{{Ref/Book|EVG|Page=175}} They represent the primary leadership of the Covenant in ground engagements, and provide overall strategic direction to the [[Sangheili]], [[Kig-Yar]] and [[Unggoy]] units under their command.{{Ref/Book|Id=H4EVG|H4EVG|Page=47}}{{Ref/Reuse|Guide}} | |||
Within the Covenant of old, the rank of commander (and below it, [[sub-commander]]) allowed the Sangheili to maintain unit cohesion across species.{{Ref/Reuse|Enc22}} They represent the primary leadership of the Covenant in ground engagements, and provide overall strategic direction to the [[Sangheili]], [[Kig-Yar]] and [[Unggoy]] units under their command.{{Ref/Book|Id=H4EVG|H4EVG|Page=47}}{{Ref/Reuse|Guide}} | |||
Following the dissolution of the Covenant, many seasoned and battle-hardened Sangheili went on to form the backbone of leadership within the Covenant's various successor states. For many, this involved becoming commanders of their own successor faction, who in turn formed alliances with one another throughout the [[Covenant colonies|Covenant sphere]].{{Ref/Site|URL=https://www.ultra-combo.com/arbiters-colors-accessories/|Site=Killer Instinct|Page=Arbiter's Colors & Accessories|D=04|M=09|Y=2022}} The more experienced of these warlords, those who served in the old Covenant for decades in both [[Planetary warfare|ground]] and [[space warfare]], became an integral backbone for some of the larger post-Covenant groups, such as the [[Jul 'Mdama's Covenant|faction]] led by [[Jul 'Mdama]]. Their experience allowed them to rapidly gain respect within the alliance, and power to go along with it.{{Ref/Reuse|H4EVG}}{{Ref/Reuse|Guide}} | Following the dissolution of the Covenant, many seasoned and battle-hardened Sangheili went on to form the backbone of leadership within the Covenant's various successor states. For many, this involved becoming commanders of their own successor faction, who in turn formed alliances with one another throughout the [[Covenant colonies|Covenant sphere]].{{Ref/Site|URL=https://www.ultra-combo.com/arbiters-colors-accessories/|Site=Killer Instinct|Page=Arbiter's Colors & Accessories|D=04|M=09|Y=2022}} The more experienced of these warlords, those who served in the old Covenant for decades in both [[Planetary warfare|ground]] and [[space warfare]], became an integral backbone for some of the larger post-Covenant groups, such as the [[Jul 'Mdama's Covenant|faction]] led by [[Jul 'Mdama]]. Their experience allowed them to rapidly gain respect within the alliance, and power to go along with it.{{Ref/Reuse|H4EVG}}{{Ref/Reuse|Guide}} | ||
==Equipment== | ==Equipment== | ||
===Armor=== | ===Armor=== | ||
Within the Covenant empire, Commanders serving in Covenant Special Operations employed the {{Pattern|Gheocin|combat harness}} in a grey-white colouration similar to that of the [[Evocati]], and equipped with [[active camouflage]].{{Ref/Reuse|Succor}}{{Ref/Game|H2|Rtas 'Vadum in-game model | Within the Covenant empire, Commanders serving in Covenant Special Operations employed the {{Pattern|Gheocin|combat harness}} in a grey-white colouration similar to that of the [[Evocati]], and equipped with [[active camouflage]].{{Ref/Reuse|Succor}}{{Ref/Game|H2|Rtas 'Vadum in-game model}} The precise preferences of mainline [[Covenant military]] commanders are unknown, though they may have employed [[Sangheili harness|harness]] designs in a gold command colouration similar to [[General (Covenant)|generals]] and [[Zealot]]s.{{Ref/Site|URL=https://www.ultra-combo.com/arbiters-colors-accessories/|Site=Killer Instinct|Page=Arbiter's Colors & Accessories|D=04|M=09|Y=2022|Detail=Commander harness description|Quote=Or perhaps you’ll outfit in resplendent gold, harkening back to days spent elevated within the Covenant’s rank structure. }} | ||
Sangheili [[Commander harness]]es - particularly those used by post-war groups such as Jul 'Mdama and the Swords of Sanghelios - can be described as a more sophisticated set of the [[Storm harness]] with both sporting the same lower body armor and chest harnesses of [[Hesduros|Hesduron]] aesthetic principle; Commanders on the other hand wear more angular shoulder-pads, wrist-guards, a smooth bodysuit and a much more ornate helmet. Commander harnesses appear similar to the suits worn by Sangheili [[Officer (Covenant)|Officers]] of the original [[Covenant]] in terms of design, although the Commander's set is colored a deep claret compared with the Officer's scarlet.{{Ref/Reuse|H4EVG}} They can also occasionally be found in a green<ref>'''[[Talk:Sangheili Commander]]'''</ref>{{Citation needed}} and gold{{Ref/Comic|HE|Issue=14}} combat harness. The raised claw on their boots are reminiscent of ancient ceremonial armor.{{Ref/Reuse|H4EVG}} | Sangheili [[Commander harness]]es - particularly those used by post-war groups such as Jul 'Mdama and the Swords of Sanghelios - can be described as a more sophisticated set of the [[Storm harness]] with both sporting the same lower body armor and chest harnesses of [[Hesduros|Hesduron]] aesthetic principle; Commanders on the other hand wear more angular shoulder-pads, wrist-guards, a smooth bodysuit and a much more ornate helmet. Commander harnesses appear similar to the suits worn by Sangheili [[Officer (Covenant)|Officers]] of the original [[Covenant]] in terms of design, although the Commander's set is colored a deep claret compared with the Officer's scarlet.{{Ref/Reuse|H4EVG}} They can also occasionally be found in a green<ref>'''[[Talk:Sangheili Commander]]'''</ref>{{Citation needed}} and gold{{Ref/Comic|HE|Issue=14}} combat harness. The raised claw on their boots are reminiscent of ancient ceremonial armor.{{Ref/Reuse|H4EVG}} | ||
Though, it has been seen that | Though, it has been seen that Commanders can wear different armor. In the case of [[Gek 'Lhar]], he wore the [[Storm harness]] without a helmet. In the case of [[Parg Vol]] and [[Kitun 'Arach]], they wore the [[Warrior harness]]. | ||
===Weaponry=== | ===Weaponry=== | ||
The deployments of Covenant-era commanders are little-known, and thus their particular preferences are similarly unknown. Commanders in SpecOps units, such as [[Rtas 'Vadum]], were prominent swordsmen and made heavy use of the [[Type-1 energy sword|energy sword]].{{Ref/Reuse|Succor}} | The deployments of Covenant-era commanders are little-known, and thus their particular preferences are similarly unknown. Commanders in SpecOps units, such as [[Rtas 'Vadum]], were prominent swordsmen and made heavy use of the [[Type-1 energy sword|energy sword]].{{Ref/Reuse|Succor}} | ||
Commanders within Jul 'Mdama's Covenant group have been known to wield both the infamous {{Pattern| | Commanders within Jul 'Mdama's Covenant group have been known to wield both the infamous {{Pattern|Vostu|carbine}} and the devastating {{Pattern|Zebando'Taa|concussion rifle}}. They rarely engage enemy forces without heavy firepower at their disposal.{{Ref/Reuse|Guide}} | ||
==Notable individuals== | ==Notable individuals== | ||
===Covenant=== | ===Covenant=== | ||
*[[Rtas 'Vadum]] - Commander within [[Covenant Special Operations]]; later assumed the titles of [[Shipmaster]] and [[Fleetmaster]] during the [[Great Schism]]. | *[[Rtas 'Vadum]] - Commander within [[Covenant Special Operations]]; later assumed the titles of [[Shipmaster]] and [[Fleetmaster]] during the [[Great Schism]]. | ||
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*[[Gek 'Lhar]] - Commander within Jul's Covenant.{{Ref/Book|H4EVG|Page=28}} | *[[Gek 'Lhar]] - Commander within Jul's Covenant.{{Ref/Book|H4EVG|Page=28}} | ||
*[[Parg Vol]] - Commander within Jul's Covenant.{{Ref/Book|H4EVG|Page=29}} | *[[Parg Vol]] - Commander within Jul's Covenant.{{Ref/Book|H4EVG|Page=29}} | ||
==Production notes== | ==Production notes== | ||
This rank is often titled "Special Operations Commander" (or similar) in various works, though much of this comes down to an oft-repeated misconception on the part of the ''Halo'' fanbase and older pages on Halopedia. The term "SpecOps Commander" was used throughout the [[Development of Halo 2|production]] of ''[[Halo 2]]'' to refer to the character of [[Rtas 'Vadum]], who had not been named at the time. This labelling can be seen in the game files for the character tag, and even in published media such as the [[Halo 2: The Official Strategy Guide|''Halo 2'' strategy guide]] (a source with dubious canon authority) and the ''[[Halo Graphic Novel]]'' commentary for the story ''[[The Last Voyage of the Infinite Succor]]'', in which author [[Lee Hammock]] refers to Rtas as "the SpecOps Commander".{{Ref/Comic|HGN|Story=The Last Voyage of the Infinite Succor|Page=55}} Crucially, the story itself does not refer to the rank of "SpecOps Commander" at any point, only referring to the characters of Rtas 'Vadum and [[Bero 'Kusovai]] as commander and sub-commander, respectively. | This rank is often titled "Special Operations Commander" (or similar) in various works, though much of this comes down to an oft-repeated misconception on the part of the ''Halo'' fanbase and older pages on Halopedia. The term "SpecOps Commander" was used throughout the [[Development of Halo 2|production]] of ''[[Halo 2]]'' to refer to the character of [[Rtas 'Vadum]], who had not been named at the time. This labelling can be seen in the game files for the character tag, and even in published media such as the [[Halo 2: The Official Strategy Guide|''Halo 2'' strategy guide]] (a source with dubious canon authority) and the ''[[Halo Graphic Novel]]'' commentary for the story ''[[The Last Voyage of the Infinite Succor]]'', in which author [[Lee Hammock]] refers to Rtas as "the SpecOps Commander".{{Ref/Comic|HGN|Story=The Last Voyage of the Infinite Succor|Page=55}} Crucially, the story itself does not refer to the rank of "SpecOps Commander" at any point, only referring to the characters of Rtas 'Vadum and [[Bero 'Kusovai]] as commander and sub-commander, respectively. | ||
In-universe sources for the rank of "SpecOps Commander" were first published in the ''[[Halo Encyclopedia (2009 edition)]]'' and repeated in its [[Halo Encyclopedia (2011 edition)|2011 reprint]], which discuss Rtas 'Vadum as having "''been reassigned to the position of SpecOps Commander''".{{Ref/Reuse|Enc11}} This is repeated in the ''[[Halo: The Essential Visual Guide|Essential Visual Guide]]'' page on the character with mostly identical wording; neither of which discuss the rank as a particular title and can be easily interpreted as referring to a Special Operations Commander in the same way one may refer to an "SAS General". Given the [[Halo Encyclopedia (2009 edition)#Reception and errors|many errors]] present throughout the 2009 encyclopedia, this source is generally considered untrustworthy should alternates be available. Within the EVG itself, Rtas' explicit rank is given as [[Shipmaster]], with the term "SpecOps Commander" only ever used as a general descriptor. | In-universe sources for the rank of "SpecOps Commander" were first published in the ''[[Halo Encyclopedia (2009 edition)]]'' and repeated in its [[Halo Encyclopedia (2011 edition)|2011 reprint]], which discuss Rtas 'Vadum as having "''been reassigned to the position of SpecOps Commander''".{{Ref/Reuse|Enc11}} This is repeated in the ''[[Halo: The Essential Visual Guide|Essential Visual Guide]]'' page on the character with mostly identical wording; neither of which discuss the rank as a particular title and can be easily interpreted as referring to a Special Operations Commander in the same way one may refer to an "SAS General". Given the [[Halo Encyclopedia (2009 edition)#Reception and errors|many errors]] present throughout the 2009 encyclopedia, this source is generally considered untrustworthy should alternates be available. Within the EVG itself, Rtas' explicit rank is given as [[Shipmaster]], with the term "SpecOps Commander" only ever used as a general descriptor. | ||
More recent media published by [[343 Industries]] has almost entirely neglected to mention the idea of the "Spec Ops Commander"; the first mention within more recent media occured in the [[2016]] novel ''[[Halo: Envoy]]'' during which [[Rojka 'Kasaan]] refers to [[Keza]] as "''one of his special operations commanders''" - with no capitalisation, suggesting the title is not intended as a proper noun, but instead a general descriptor.{{Ref/Novel|HEnv|Chapter=8}} More recently, the ''[[Halo Encyclopedia (2022 edition)]]'' discusses the ranks of commander and sub-commander as general ranks employed throughout the Covenant military in a similar fashion to [[Major (Covenant)|Major]] or [[Minor]],{{Ref/Reuse|Enc22}} while the book's page on Rtas 'Vadum explicitly states he "''served as '''a''' Special Operations | More recent media published by [[343 Industries]] has almost entirely neglected to mention the idea of the "Spec Ops Commander"; the first mention within more recent media occured in the [[2016]] novel ''[[Halo: Envoy]]'' during which [[Rojka 'Kasaan]] refers to [[Keza]] as "''one of his special operations commanders''" - with no capitalisation, suggesting the title is not intended as a proper noun, but instead a general descriptor.{{Ref/Novel|HEnv|Chapter=8}} More recently, the ''[[Halo Encyclopedia (2022 edition)]]'' discusses the ranks of commander and sub-commander as general ranks employed throughout the Covenant military in a similar fashion to [[Major (Covenant)|Major]] or [[Minor]],{{Ref/Reuse|Enc22}}, while the book's page on Rtas 'Vadum explicitly states he "''served as '''a''' Special Operations commandeer''" - explicitly avoiding to call him a Special Operations Commander, presented as a proper noun.{{Ref/Book|Enc22|Page=250}} Given that the concept of a Sangheili Commander rank was fully established within ''[[Halo 4]]'' (and its supporting media such as the [[Halo 4 Interactive Guide|Interactive Guide]] and ''[[Halo 4: The Essential Visual Guide]]''), it would seem that the concept of a Special Operations Commander rank was based on a misreading of game data and ambiguous wording in early ''Halo'' media, and one [[343 Industries]] has consciously gone out of their way to retcon/ ignore. | ||
==Gallery== | ==Gallery== | ||
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File:KICommander harness 2.png|The Commander harness in ''Killer Instinct''. | File:KICommander harness 2.png|The Commander harness in ''Killer Instinct''. | ||
File:HO_CommanderHarness_Concept.jpg|Concept art of the Commander harness, as it would have appeared in ''[[Halo Online]]''. In ''[[Halo: The Master Chief Collection]]'', this armour was canonised as the [[General harness]]. | File:HO_CommanderHarness_Concept.jpg|Concept art of the Commander harness, as it would have appeared in ''[[Halo Online]]''. In ''[[Halo: The Master Chief Collection]]'', this armour was canonised as the [[General harness]]. | ||
</gallery> | </gallery> | ||
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*''[[Halo: Envoy]]'' | *''[[Halo: Envoy]]'' | ||
*''[[Halo: Renegades]]'' | *''[[Halo: Renegades]]'' | ||
==Sources== | ==Sources== | ||
