Editing IsoDidact

{{Era|Forerunner}}
{{New Content|[[Halo: Silentium]]}}
<center>''This article is about the Didact responsible for activating the Halo Array. For the Didact encountered in Halo 4, see [[Ur-Didact]].''</center>
{{Character Infobox
|name=IsoDidact
|image=[[File:Didact.png|275px]]
|homeworld=[[Bornstellar's homeworld|Unidentified world]]
|birth=c. 100,012 BCE
|death=
|species=[[Forerunner]]
|gender=Male
|height= approx. {{Convert|3|m|ft|sp=us}} ''(as the Didact)''
|mass=
|hair=Pale, bluish white fur ''(as the Didact)''
|eyes=Gray ''(as the Didact)''
|affiliation=[[Ecumene]]
|rank-title=Title
|rank=[[Manipular]] ([[Rate|R]]: [[Builder]]) ''(as Bornstellar)''<br>
[[Protector of the ecumene]] ([[Rate|R]]: [[Warrior-Servant]]) ''(as the Didact)''
|notable=Activated the [[Halo Array]] c. [[100,000 BCE]]
}}
{{Quote|You are what you dare.|A phrase summarizing both Bornstellar's and the Didact's philosophy towards life.<ref>'''Halo: Cryptum''', ''pages 60, 85''</ref>}}
The '''IsoDidact''',<ref name="string2">'''Halo: Silentium''', ''String Two''</ref> also known simply as the '''Didact''' or more specifically as the '''Bornstellar Didact''', was an alternate incarnation of the [[Forerunner]] [[Promethean]] supreme commander known as the [[Ur-Didact|Didact]]. Originally a young [[Manipular]] known as '''Bornstellar Makes Eternal Lasting''' or simply '''Bornstellar''', he was transformed into a "copy" of the Didact after being imprinted with the latter's consciousness and memories, taking on the original Didact's identity and role of supreme commander of Forerunner war efforts against the [[Flood]] in the ongoing [[Forerunner-Flood war]]. The IsoDidact intended to serve as a replacement for the Didact, who was at the time believed to have been executed by [[Master Builder]] [[Faber]]. The "IsoDidact" moniker was adopted to differentiate the copy from the original Didact, who was subsequently identified as the [[Ur-Didact]].<ref name="string2"/> The Ur-Didact's madness-induced actions near the end of the war led to his imprisonment for the next 100,000 years, leaving the IsoDidact to lead the Warrior-Servants for the final days of the war. He was also the individual responsible for activating the [[Halo Array]] at the close of the Flood conflict.<ref name="array">'''Halo: Silentium''', ''page 328''</ref>

==Biography==
===Early life===
{{Quote|Bornstellar is marked to become a great Builder, just like his father — but this Manipular has other plans.|Description<ref name="Cryptum cover">'''[[Halo: Cryptum]]''', forward jacket description</ref>}}
Bornstellar's family and ancestors came from a long line of [[Builder]]s, the highest and most powerful [[rate]] in Forerunner society. Of all his [[Bornstellar's father|father]]'s children, Bornstellar was the most rebellious, refusing to follow in his footsteps and become a Builder. As a result of this, his father sent him to learn discipline in a step family of [[Miner]]s on [[Mars|Edom]] in the distant [[Sol system]]. There, his [[ancilla]] taught him of the near-mythical [[Precursor]]s. Three years later, Bornstellar sneaked aboard a supply transport and traveled to [[Earth|Erde-Tyrene]] to hunt for Precursor relics. In the city of [[Marontik]], he met two humans, [[Chakas]] and [[Riser]], who would serve as guides in his search for Precursor artifacts.<ref name="chapter1">'''Halo: Cryptum''', ''Chapter 1''</ref>

His guides led him to [[Djamonkin Crater]], where he found and opened a [[Cryptum]] belonging to [[the Didact]]. The Didact took Bornstellar and the two humans with him on [[Didact's ship|a ship]] grown on-site from a [[design seed]] planted by the Librarian. During his subsequent travels with Bornstellar, the Didact performed a [[Forerunner mutation|brevet mutation]] on him to allow him access to the [[Domain]]; in addition, the Didact imprinted Bornstellar with his consciousness, along with his memories and knowledge, potentially allowing Bornstellar to continue the Didact's work in the event he were captured or killed.

After being captured by the Master Builder on the [[San 'Shyuum]] world [[Janjur Qom]], Bornstellar was shipped back to his family. Not long after, his presence was requested at the trial of the Master Builder in the [[Capital]]. The trial was interrupted by [[Battle of the Capital|an attack]] by the [[Rampancy|rampant]] [[05-032 Mendicant Bias|Mendicant Bias]]. During the battle, the Didact's personality took control of Bornstellar, allowing him to escape the AI's control and maneuver an [[Falco-class space pod|escape pod]] amidst the chaos and successfully escape to the [[greater Ark]]<ref group="note">''See [[Greater Ark#Notes]]''</ref> along with [[Glory of a Far Dawn]] and [[Splendid Dust of Ancient Suns]].

===Becoming the Didact===
{{Quote|no=three|q1=The Didact provided the template for my maturity. I am now all that remains of him, and so I serve in his place.|Bornstellar Didact|q2=Bornstellar?|Chakas|q3=No more, except in my dreams.|Bornstellar Didact|As Chakas recognizes Bornstellar during their reunion on Installation 07.<ref name="p348"/>}}<!--It is more appropriate to refer to the entity as the Bornstellar Didact in this quote section, as the conversation is between Chakas and his former companion.-->
After surviving the assault on the Capital, Bornstellar arrived on the [[greater Ark]], where he met with the [[Librarian]], who revealed that Didact had been executed at the hands of the [[Faber|Master Builder]]. As the Didact's expertise was necessary to combat the increasing threat of the Flood, the Promethean's personality completely overtook Bornstellar's physical body, making him a reincarnation of the Didact; he stated that he would return control to Bornstellar when his mission was finished.<ref>'''Halo: Cryptum''', ''page 337''</ref>

Intent on finding Chakas and Riser, as well as stopping Mendicant Bias, the IsoDidact tracked down [[Installation 07]], the rogue Halo under the command of Mendicant Bias and the [[Primordial]], the entity previously imprisoned on [[Charum Hakkor]] which had since been released and was responsible for subverting Mendicant Bias. His fleet intercepted the Halo ring, on a pre-determined collision course with [[Unidentified failsafe planet|a planet]] in a distant system. He deactivated Mendicant Bias using his control codes and proceeded to save the Halo and its research data on the Flood.<ref>'''Halo: Primordium''', ''page 336-339''</ref> Arriving in the Halo's [[Cartographer]], one of the facilities employed as control stations for the ring, the IsoDidact found Chakas and many more humans who had been connected to the ring's control interface by Mendicant Bias in an attempt to steer the installation. The IsoDidact joined Chakas in the controls and the two controlled the Halo's passage over the planet.<ref name="p348">'''Halo: Primordium''', ''page 348''</ref>

At the IsoDidact's order, the damaged Halo was transported to the [[greater Ark]], where the Flood presence was contained and both Mendicant Bias and the Primordial were placed in captivity. Chakas had been mortally wounded during the events on Installation 07, and although his physical body could not be saved, the IsoDidact decided to preserve his consciousness in the form of a [[monitor]] who would be tasked with watching over the Librarian's human specimens at the Ark. While the conversion process was still underway, the IsoDidact took Chakas with him as he interrogated the Primordial, imprisoned deep beneath Installation 07. Over the course of the exchange, the entity revealed the true nature of the relationship between the Precursors, the Flood as well as the Forerunners and humans, stating that the Forerunners were never meant to inherit the Mantle and that there was no cure for the Flood. Furious, the IsoDidact then executed the creature by fully activating its slipspace stasis chamber, forcing it to live through a billion years in complete sensory isolation and causing it to decay to a state of total physical entropy.<ref>'''Halo: Primordium''', ''page 362-367''</ref>

===Final years===
Following his temporary victory, the IsoDidact's power rose as he returned to the favor of the New Council,<ref>'''Halo: Silentium''', ''String 1''</ref> also elevating the status of his wife. The debate on the Didact's plans for strategic solutions against the Flood was restored and the use of the Halos was delayed for a time.<ref>'''Halo: Primordium''', ''page 374-375''</ref> However, this victory did not last long. In the coming years, the Flood continued to ravage the ecumene at an increasing virulence, leading the Forerunners - including the IsoDidact himself - to begin reconsidering the use of the Halos.

The Lifeworkers' efforts to preserve the species of the galaxy continued across the ecumene, including Erde-Tyrene, whose evacuation the IsoDidact and the Librarian arrived to oversee personally. They were also to give their testimonies to [[Catalog]] on matters concerning the attack on the Capital, but were interrupted by the Flood's arrival in the sector. The emergency prompted the IsoDidact to depart to the core of the ecumene, as Forerunner forces in the region were insufficient to mount an effective counterattack. After a brief moment together, he parted ways with the Librarian,<ref>'''Halo: Silentium''', ''String 2''</ref> not to see her again in four years. The IsoDidact went on to assume command of Orion Complex Defense Operations, leading combined forces reconstituted from both [[Warrior-Servant]]s and [[Builder Security]].<ref>'''Halo: Silentium''', ''String 22''</ref> During the war, the IsoDidact regularly exchanged transmissions with the Librarian and was constantly trying to convince her to give up on [[Conservation Measure|her mission]] to save other sentient life from the Halo Array's inevitable activation, and return to him to safety inside the [[Maginot Line]].<ref name="t1">'''Halo 3''' - ''[[Terminal/Halo 3|Terminal 1]]''</ref>

After it was learned that the original Didact - now identified as the Ur-Didact - was still alive and had been returned to the ecumene, a reunion was arranged between the two Didacts and the Librarian on [[Nomdagro]]. During the ensuing conversation, it was evident that the Ur-Didact was no longer the same individual who had imprinted Bornstellar. Driven to insanity by the [[Gravemind]], the Ur-Didact expressed views which appalled both his copy and the Librarian, declaring that the Mantle was to be seized by force and that his wife sympathized with the Flood by favoring humans. The meeting quickly turned sour and the Ur-Didact departed to the other side of Nomdagro. The IsoDidact followed his original and found him brooding near the planet's only Precursor artifact. The differences between the original and the IsoDidact became all the more apparent as the Ur-Didact began to accuse his copy for being only a faulty version of himself, as he had abandoned his fierce opposition of the Halos and now recognized the possibility of firing the rings as a last resort. Just before the confrontation was about to turn physical, the nearby Precursor artifact began to signal the imminent arrival of the Flood. The tension momentarily dissolved by the common threat, the IsoDidact and the Ur-Didact left in their own ships and rocketed into orbit while the Flood deployed millions of [[Flood dispersal pod|spore capsules]] in Nomdagro's atmosphere. The IsoDidact joined the Librarian aboard her ship, ''[[Audacity]]'' and sped toward the [[greater Ark]] while the Ur-Didact followed on the ''[[Mantle's Approach]]''.<ref name="string26">'''Halo: Silentium''', ''String 26''</ref>

===Loss of the greater Ark===
{{Main|Battle of the greater Ark}}
Forced to perform an emergency jump due to the transit of Precursor constructs disrupting slipspace in the region, the ''Audacity'' eventually reached the greater Ark. The Orion complex having fallen to the Flood, the Ark was now home to the remains of the ecumene. An emergency conference was arranged among the Forerunner commanders present in preparation for an inevitable Flood attack on the greater Ark; the Ur-Didact did not attend, instead remaining aboard the ''Mantle's Approach''. An argument ensued between the IsoDidact and the other commanders, who asserted that now that the original Didact had returned, the IsoDidact was no longer necessary. However, the IsoDidact found an unexpected ally in the [[Faber|Master Builder]], who convinced the others that the Ur-Didact was no longer in a condition to lead Forerunner defense, with the Gravemind using the Ur-Didact as a tool to cause strife within the ecumene, sending him back with a message taunting the Master Builder about his wives and children having been incorporated into a Gravemind.<ref name="string29">'''Halo: Silentium''', ''String 29''</ref> Not long after, this was proven true as the Ur-Didact unexpectedly used a [[Composer]] to harvest the essences of the entire human population of the nearby [[Omega Halo]] before fleeing and deserting the Forerunners.<ref name="string33">'''Halo: Silentium''', ''String 33''</ref>

As the Flood - under command of the reconstituted [[Mendicant Bias]] - and vast numbers of [[star road]]s approached the Ark, plans were laid for its defense and evacuation. The IsoDidact, the [[Examiner]], [[Bitterness-of-the-Vanquished]] and Faber traveled to Omega Halo, which would be used to clear a path for escaping ships through the star roads, which formed themselves into an impregnable wall around the Ark. At the Halo's [[control room|control center]], the Master Builder gave the coordinates of the secret [[Installation 00]] to the IsoDidact while intending to stay behind himself. Faber then fired Omega Halo, creating a momentary corridor through the star roads. However, the remaining Precursor artifacts continued to converge on Omega Halo and the Ark and soon began to tear both installations apart. As the control room collapsed, the IsoDidact and the other commanders began to plummet to their deaths. As he fell, the Didact's imprint was momentarily shunted aside and Bornstellar's personality surfaced once more before he lost consciousness.<ref name="string33"/>

However, the IsoDidact was saved by Monitor Chakas, who took him aboard a [[Gargantua-class transport]] which successfully escaped the Ark. The IsoDidact and a handful of other survivors used Faber's personal slipspace portal to travel to the lesser Ark, where they would prepare to fire the Forerunners' last resort: the final Halo Array, which would sterilize the galaxy of sentient life, thus halting the Flood.<ref name="string35">'''Halo: Silentium''', ''String 35''</ref>

===Activating the Halo Array===
{{Quote|Now, old friend, we have the most important job in history–perhaps in all time. You may very well outlast all of us here. You may see the new galaxy emerge. Tell me, Chakas, if this was your choice, after all we have seen and survived... [[Two Betrayals|would you fire the rings?]]|The IsoDidact queries [[343 Guilty Spark]] about the Halo Array before the activation, only to be met by silence.<ref>'''Halo: Silentium''', ''page 314''</ref>}}

Before the distribution of the Halo Array across the galaxy, the IsoDidact assigned the monitors for each installation and gave them their new names. In his last exchange with Chakas, the Didact designated him as [[343 Guilty Spark]] and assigned him as the caretaker of [[Installation 04]]. After the Halos had been deployed, the IsoDidact operated from the Ark's [[Installation 00 Citadel|Citadel]] to complete preparations for the coming activation.<ref name="string36">'''Halo: Silentium''', ''String 36''</ref> The [[metarch]] [[Offensive Bias]], commanding the remains of the Forerunner fleet, was sent to [[Battle of the Maginot Sphere|stall]] Mendicant Bias and its approaching fleet to prevent them from reaching the Ark before the Halos could fire.<ref name="string38">'''Halo: Silentium''', ''String 38''</ref>

In the final moments before the activation, the Didact exchanged a few last messages with the Librarian, who had willingly stranded herself on Earth to draw the Flood there, buying the IsoDidact time to fire the Halos. The IsoDidact intended to retrieve the Librarian before he would be forced to light the rings and prepared a rescue party for her. However, before they could depart, Mendicant Bias' fleet breached the Maginot Line and destroyed the rescue party.<ref name="t7">'''Halo 3''' - ''[[Terminal/Halo 3|Terminal 7]]''</ref> Asking for forgiveness, the IsoDidact then reluctantly activated the seven rings, sterilizing the galaxy of life capable of sustaining the Flood and starving the parasite to death.<ref name="string38"/>

===Post-activation===
Having been on the Ark and thus out of Halo Array's range, the IsoDidact was among the few Forerunners who survived the galactic extinction. After Mendicant Bias' [[Battle of the Maginot Sphere|defeat]] at the hands of Offensive Bias, the IsoDidact presided over the trial of Mendicant for its betrayal of the ecumene. The IsoDidact decided to keep Bias alive as it had intimate knowledge of the Flood and could be called upon in case of their return. He had Bias entombed in Installation 00 with only one thought allowed to the AI: atonement.<ref>[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a3YLl2NLVFA '''Halo Waypoint''' - ''The Trial of Mendicant Bias'']</ref> Sometime later he oversaw along with the new [[Lifeshaper]] [[Chant-to-Green]] the [[reintroduction]] of humanity, and shared a few last words with [[Riser]] on Earth before going into exile along with the other Forerunner survivors.<ref>[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YGR1V7IRLXs '''Halo Waypoint''' - ''Rebirth video'']</ref>

Over 100,000 years later, a record referred to as the "[[Halo: Cryptum|Bornstellar Relation]]", containing an archived testimony of the IsoDidact recorded by [[Catalog]], was discovered by the UNSC on [[Onyx]] and served as one of the core documents in ONI's research into the Forerunners.<ref>'''Halo: Primordium''', ''page 230''</ref>

==Personality and traits==
[[File:Didact.jpg|thumb|170px|[[Cortana]]'s semi-inaccurate visual interpretation of the IsoDidact.<ref group="note">Since the pictured Forerunner individual is shown activating the Halo Array in ''[[Origins]]'', it can be inferred that this is Cortana's imagination of the IsoDidact. However, as stated by [[Frank O'Connor]] in the episode commentary, the visuals shown in ''Origins'' are not entirely accurate as a result of Cortana's incomplete data stores and her progressing [[rampancy]]. The Didact's depiction in ''Origins'' has only five fingers per hand; canonically, both Didacts had six fingers on each hand. His armor most closely resembles the first set of armor the Ur-Didact is shown wearing in the ''Halo 4'' terminals. As an additional discrepancy, the individual in ''Origins'' is seen activating the Array from a Halo installation's control room, accompanied by two other Forerunners, whereas the IsoDidact fired the rings from Installation 00's citadel.</ref>]]
{{linkbox|quote=yes|quotepage=IsoDidact/Quotes}}
Bornstellar was young, inexperienced, and was close to the age of becoming an independent member of society. However, despite his noble class, he was quite rebellious in nature, even to the point of defying the history and trade of his family as Builders.<ref name="Cryptum cover"/> Because of this, Bornstellar had become increasingly interested in the [[Precursor]]s, an ancient race of sentient beings far predating his own people.<ref name="chapter1"/>

After being transformed into the IsoDidact, Bornstellar's personality changed almost completely to reflect that of the Promethean commander, although traces of his original personality influenced some of his attitudes; for example, he was more tolerant of humans than the Ur-Didact, perhaps as a result of his experiences with Chakas and Riser. By the point the Bornstellar Didact reunited with the two, he clearly showed sympathy and compassion for them; he treated Chakas and the other humans gently, expressing condolence for everything they had been forced to go through and made an effort to save as many of the Halo's human specimens as possible. Later on, the differences between him and the original Didact became much more pronounced, not because of Bornstellar's personality acting in the background but due to the very different experiences the two had gone through.

{{Expand-section}}
==Physical description and appearance==
Physically, like other Manipulars, Bornstellar bore a moderate but noticeable resemblance to humanity than he did to other Forerunner forms, such as a Second or Third-Form.<ref>'''Halo: Cryptum''', ''page 28''</ref> He possessed a thin, pale fuzz over much of his body, such as his arms, along with the partially-furred body and hair that was a notable feature of his kind.

After his brevet mutation at the hands of the Didact, he began to resemble those of the Warrior-Servant caste than he did of the Builders, with grayish-white skin, thicker, a more muscular physique, harsher facial features. Even with these characteristics, he still bore traces of the Builder caste, resulting in him possessing a blend of physical features of both; however, his physique continued to mutate further over time,<ref>'''Halo: Cryptum''', ''page 242''</ref> and he eventually came to resemble the original Didact very closely, aside from being conspicuously younger.<ref name="p348"/> After adopting the role of the Didact, he also donned the mottled blue-gray armor of a fully mature Promethean.<ref name="pri339">'''Halo: Primordium''', ''page 339''</ref>

==Trivia==
*Bornstellar is the main protagonist of the [[Greg Bear]] novel ''[[Halo: Cryptum]]'', the first of three novels in ''[[The Forerunner Saga]]''.
*The Greek prefix "''[[Wiktionary:iso-|iso-]]''" means "''equal''"; for example, isotopes are variants of an element that have the same number of protons and electrons but vary in their neutron counts. In a similar manner, the IsoDidact's title directly alludes to the Didact's simultaneous existence in two separate bodies: they share the Didact's essence, yet they eventually diverge into drastically different individuals.

==List of appearances==
*''[[Halo: Combat Evolved]]'' <small>(Indirect mention)</small>
**''[[Halo: Combat Evolved Anniversary|Anniversary]]'' <small>(Indirect mention)</small>
*''[[Halo 3]]'' {{C|First appearance as Didact}}
**''[[Terminal/Halo 3|Terminals]]''
*''[[Halo Legends]]''
**''[[Origins]]''
*''[[The Forerunner Saga]]''
**''[[Halo: Cryptum]]'' {{C|First appearance as Bornstellar}}
**''[[Halo: Primordium]]''
**''[[Halo: Silentium]]''

==Notes==
<references group="note"/>

==Sources==
<references/>
{{Forerunner-Flood War}}
[[Category:Forerunner Characters|Bornstellar Makes Eternal Lasting]]