Editing Terminal (Halo 3)

{{Status|Canon}}
{{Center|''This article is about the Terminals in [[Halo 3]]. For other uses of "Terminal", see [[Terminal (disambiguation)]]''}}
[[File:H3 Terminal Error.png|thumb|300px|A terminal's interface.]]
[[File:Ark Terminal.jpg|thumb|300px|The exterior of a terminal.]]

The '''terminals''' in ''[[Halo 3]]'' are [[Forerunner]] [[terminal]]s that provide insight into the history of the Forerunners, primarily the [[Forerunner-Flood war]]. The terminals are a continuation of the ''[[Iris]]'' alternate reality game used as viral marketing for ''Halo 3''. They clarify a great deal of the ''Iris'' story line by naming the authors of different messages and by explaining the circumstances of the [[Great Purification|original firing]] of the [[Halo Array]]. The terminals follow the stories of the [[Librarian]] and the [[IsoDidact|Didact]], Forerunner logs of [[Flood]] attacks, and [[Mendicant you hjhdjhshzhebshdddbdhdhsbhdbd shsjdbbduxdbshxsbxxnd

==Overview==
The terminals can be accessed on any difficulty. Finding and accessing all [[seven]] of the terminals in ''Halo 3'' unlocks the ''[[Marathon Man]]'' [[achievement]]; this can be done over the course of several sessions, out of order, and on various difficulties. The player does not need to finish any of the missions in question in order to unlock the achievement.

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'''IMPORTANT: The terminals must be accessed as follows:'''
* In either single-player or cooperative mode.
* It is necessary to read the text until the green arrow (facing left) turns red. On some terminals, it may be necessary to wait until the screen flashes red and the screen appears to "scan horizontally". This does not occur for all terminals. If there is no red arrow (see below) then wait until the red flash/scanning occurs.
** There is a green arrow in the bottom left-hand corner. When it turns red the player can exit the terminal. Note that normally the player is able to advance each screen of the display by pressing the A button. However, in some cases this may take time. If the arrow is still green then wait until the terminal proceeds.
* For some players, the seventh terminal must be accessed last in order to unlock the achievement.
* If the achievement is not unlocked after accessing all terminals, try accessing all of the terminals on the same difficulty level.
* In co-op, all players must be near a terminal to access it.
|}

==The terminals==
The terminals are located on three levels: ''[[The Ark (level)|The Ark]]'', ''[[The Covenant (level)|The Covenant]]'', and ''[[Halo (Halo 3 level)|Halo]]''. There is also a hidden terminal on ''[[Cortana (level)|Cortana]]'', but that one does not need to be found in order to get the achievement.

Upon initial access on all difficulty levels, the seven terminals give background details regarding the story of the 300-year-long Forerunner-Flood conflict, including strategies, encounters, enemy and friendly losses, and procedures leading up to the activation of the Halo Array. After a short time, this text is overwritten and a new message is displayed on the screen.

On Easy, Normal, and Heroic difficulty levels, this second screen of text details a correspondence between two Forerunner lovers called the "[[Librarian]]" and "[[Didact]]". In this transcript, as in the Terminals, "L" stands for Librarian and "D" stand for Didact. 

An unknown entity sends brief messages onscreen upon shutdown. The final terminal reveals that this entity is the rampant Forerunner AI Mendicant Bias, who had previously assisted in the Flood's attempt to destroy the Forerunners.

On the Legendary difficulty level, the second screen of text tells the story of Mendicant Bias. It is revealed that Mendicant Bias was the AI who took control of [[AdjutantReflex]] during the "Iris" campaign. Messages detailing Mendicant's eventual defection to the Gravemind are displayed by '''Terminals 1 through 4''', with the AI having an ongoing conversation with the Flood (tagged '''LF.Xx.3273'''). These messages are incomplete and partially disrupted, with {~} symbolizing the disruptions. A noticeable pattern in the messages suggests that many of the disruptions occur at the use of pronouns, such as "I, we, me, they, it", though this pattern is not entirely consistent. 

'''Terminal 5''' displays several hostile messages sent from Mendicant Bias to its makers, confirming its rampancy. These messages are different on each difficulty level. 

'''Terminal 6''' details the defeat of Mendicant Bias by [[Offensive Bias]], as perceived by Offensive itself. 

The final message hidden in '''Terminal 7''' is an apology made by Mendicant directly to [[John-117]] for the former's betrayal, atoning by saying it will help the Reclaimer leave the Ark safely.

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'''Note''': ''The following are exact transcripts of all seven terminals in ''Halo 3''. It is all copied directly from each terminal in-game and is not speculative. Most of the Terminals have extra content that can be accessed on the Legendary difficulty. One terminal's main content does differ based on the difficulty level.''
|}

<!-- DO NOT TOUCH OR THE RABBIDS WILL COME AFTER YOU! -->
{{Tabcontainer|
|title1=Terminal One
|content1={{/One}}
|title2=Terminal Two
|content2={{/Two}}
|title3=Terminal Three
|content3={{/Three}}
|title4=Terminal Four
|content4={{/Four}}
|title5=Terminal Five
|content5={{/Five}}
|title6=Terminal Six
|content6={{/Six}}
|title7=Terminal Seven
|content7={{/Seven}}
}}
<!-- DO NOT TOUCH OR THE RABBIDS WILL COME AFTER YOU! -->
{{clear}}

===Cortana terminal===
[[File:Cortana terminal.jpg|thumb|The Cortana terminal at the end of the communications room.]]
{{Quote|It was the [[Quarter|coin's]] fault! I wanted to make you strong, keep you safe... I'm sorry, I can't...|Cortana terminal}}
The Cortana terminal is an [[Easter egg]] located in the basement room of the [[Halo 3 skulls#Tilt|Tilt Skull]]'s location, where the [[Gravity hammer (fiction)|gravity hammer]] is found. This Terminal does not count towards the ''Marathon Man'' achievement but instead plays a secret Cortana moment. This terminal references a scene in ''[[Halo: The Fall of Reach]]'' where [[John-117]] unwittingly ensures his conscription into the [[SPARTAN-II program]] by correctly guessing several coin tosses in a row. Audio of [[Catherine Halsey|Dr. Halsey]] enticing him to play Heads or Tails with her can be heard as the player approaches the terminal's location.
{{Clear}}

==Appearances==
{{Featurelist|secondcolumn=title-4
|title-1=Characters|
*[[Librarian]] {{1st}}
*[[IsoDidact]] {{C|As "Didact"}} {{1st}}
*[[Filial Devotion]] {{1st}}
*[[Mendicant Bias]] {{1st}}
*[[Offensive Bias]] {{1st}}
*[[343 Guilty Spark]]
*[[000 Tragic Solitude]] {{1st}}
*[[Gravemind]]
**[[Primordial]] {{C|As [[Flood Super Cell|"LF.Xx.3273"]]}} 

|title-2=Species|
*[[Forerunner]]
*[[Flood]]
*[[Human]] {{Mo}}

|title-3=Organizations|
*[[Forerunner fleet]]
**[[Forerunner Fleet Command]] {{1st}}
**[[Security Fleet]] {{Fm}}
**[[Suppression Fleet]] {{Fm}}
**[[Emergency Circumstance Fleet]] {{Fm}}
**[[Primary Pioneer Group]] {{1st}}
***[[Advance Survey Team-Alpha]] {{1st}}

|title-4=Locations|
*[[Installation 00]]
*[[Earth]]
*[[Maginot Line]] {{1st}}
*[[CE-10-2165]] {{1st}}
**[[CE-10-2165-d]] {{1st}}
*[[DM-3-1123]] {{1st}}
**[[DM-3-1123 b]] {{1st}}
*[[LP 656-38]] {{1st}}
**[[LP 656-38 e]] {{1st}}
*[[G617]] {{1st}}
*[[Seaward|G 617 g1]] {{1st}}

|title-5=Events|
*[[Forerunner-Flood war]] {{1st}}
**[[Battle of G617 g1]] {{1st}}
**[[Battle of LP 656-38 e]] {{1st}}
**[[Battle of DM-3-1123 b]] {{1st}}
**[[Battle of CE-10-2165-d]] {{1st}}
**[[Battle of the Maginot Sphere]] {{1st}}
*[[Conservation Measure]]

|title-6=Technology and equipment|
*[[Halo Array]]
*[[Combat skin]]
*[[Logic plague]]
*[[Personality Construct Array]] {{1st}}
*[[Platform interface skin]] {{Fm}}
*[[Probability Model Zeta]] {{1st}}
}}

==Analyses==
===Translation and naming===
It is important to note that phrases such as "[[Maginot Line]]", "[[Eden (place)|Eden]]", and "fairy tale" would not have existed in the Forerunner language(s). Forerunner technology (including terminals) utilizes extremely advanced [[translation software]]. This software is capable of incorporating idioms from a reader's own experience,<ref name="haloenc-165">'''[[Halo Encyclopedia (2009 edition)]]''', ''page 165''</ref> such that a human viewing the terminals will see human idiomatic expressions and human names in relevant contexts.{{Ref/Reuse|haloenc-165}}<ref>'''Halo: Cryptum''', ''page 6''</ref>

Several pieces of text are bracketed and shown in a darker font color; this is likely done to indicate that the phrases in question have no exact equivalent in the reader's language, and that an approximation has been used. Furthermore, some bracketed phrases also contain sub-bracketed question marks (such as the phrase "[travel the path of demons[?]]"), implying that the terminals' software is unsure of the proper translation for the given dialog.

Interestingly, the word "Ark" does not appear in brackets, meaning that it is a direct translation, rather than a human idiom.

===Reversed messages===
{{#widget:YouTube|id=h0RRCjpmoAA|width=300|right}}

In certain parts, backwards speech can be heard. Common phrases include "Archive Access", "Interruption", "Lineage Confirmed", "Data Corruption", and "Welcome Child".

===Additional information===
For a moment after a page is initially accessed the text is shown in its original state in Forerunner script. The symbols stand in only for letters, not for numbers or punctuation, and share the same colors (''i.e.'' gold and orange) as the letters possess when 'translated'. They stand in only for the letters in the main sections, not in the text that comes up immediately before the display is redirected.

The symbols bear no resemblance to the other, more well known [[Forerunner#Forerunner Glyphs and Symbols|Forerunner symbols]] and possess no observable meaning, as they replace the English characters at random (this can be seen by flipping quickly between two pages and concentrating on any one particular symbol, observing how the stand-in changes).

When certain terminals are redirecting the player after they have logged in, as the screen turns red on the left side are symbols and the words "I AM MENDICANT BIAS."

==Production notes==
According to [[Frank O'Connor]], the ''Halo 3''{{'}}s terminals were written by Frank O'Connor, [[Damian Isla]], [[Robert McLees]] and [[Rob Stokes]].{{Ref/Twitter|Id=WriterList|franklez|1196457934483410947|Frank O'Connor|Quote=Terminals were written by me, Damian Isla and TWO Robs. They are based on notes and ideas from the creation of each prior Halo and some ideas from the Marathon era and discussions with Joe Staten and other alum. They are canonical. They are mildly opaqued thru time and narrator.|D=18|M=11|Y=2019}}{{Ref|Group=Note|Bungie employee [[Paul Russel]] would go on to say three other employees, [[Paul Bertone]], [[Jaime Griesemer]] and [[Jason Jones]] "contributed to the writing of the terminals."{{Ref/Twitter|Id=PaulWriterList|docabominable|1602482171377221632|Paul Russel|Quote=Nooo! Bungie totally wanted the terminals! We didn't initially have time or resources to get them in. I was asked if I wanted to help and jumped in. Frank, Damian, Robt, Stokes, Bertone, Jaime, and even Jones contributed to the writing of the terminals. All vetted by management.|D=18|M=12|Y=2022}} However, this is not congruent with the rest of the known information about the terminals authorship. Jaime Griesemer would later go on to clarify his distance to the terminals, aligning himself towards the "game" team.{{Ref/Twitter|Id=JaimeGameTeam|32nds|1620248451161395201|Jaime Griesemer|Quote=It’s not so much about too many cooks, but that the game was what we all really cared about.|D=30|M=01|Y=2023}} Jason Jones is also known to have been considerably absent from ''Halo 3's'' development.{{Ref/Site|URL=https://www.vice.com/en/article/xwqjg3/the-complete-untold-history-of-halo-an-oral-history/|Site=VICE|Page=The Complete, Untold History of Halo|Quote=Jason vaporized at the end of Halo 2. He went on his long sabbatical out of the blue, and it was left to us to figure out who was going to lead the Halo team. At that point Bungie as a group was really rudderless, if not quite leaderless, really.|Quotee=Joseph Staten|D=22|M=08|Y=2022}} These employees have not been mentioned by the likes of Frank O'Connor, who was one of the terminals major contributors, with his expansion being that the terminals were also based on "discussions with [[Joseph Staten|Joe Staten]] and other alum."{{Ref/Reuse|WriterList}} It is important to note that these statements by Russel are derived from his real-time reading of fan discourse about the creation of the terminals, specifically the notion that the terminals were solely produced by Frank O'Connor, and Russel's statements were made primarily to combat that narrative. Initially, Russel relayed his impression that only Robert and [[Lorraine McLees]] were the writers of the terminals, not including O'Connor at all.{{Ref/Twitter|Id=McLees|docabominable|1602455088542486529|Paul Russel|Quote=Yes! Folks, don’t forget the terminals. Which, to be fair, almost didn’t happen. They were an Easter egg from a few people, and I worked with Damian Isla to make sure they didn’t get cut. I believe Robt and Lorraine were writing them, Damian did code, I did the art & terminals.|D=18|M=12|Y=2022}} Shortly later, Russel said that the terminals were mainly a "McLees family contribution," but they were written by "possibly also Frank."{{Ref/Twitter|Id=PossiblyFrank|docabominable|1602460457868136450|Paul Russel|Quote=No, as far as I know, the terminals were written by Robt McLees and possibly also Frank, though the terminals were mainly a McLees family contribution. Damian and I did code and art, respectively. https://archive.is/ED5en|D=18|M=12|Y=2022}} It was after this point that Russel then named Frank O'Connor, Damian Isla, Robert McLees, Robert Stokes, Paul Bertone, Jaime Griesemer, and Jason Jones as writing contributors, this time not mentioning Lorraine McLees.{{Ref/Reuse|PaulWriterList}} After this point of discussion, Russel made a post clarifying that he's remembering the details as they come, and he could contradict himself and adjust to new information.{{Ref/Twitter|Id=PaulContradictions|docabominable|1602490437121748992|Paul Russel|Quote=Hi! In the thread about terminals, I want everyone to know that I’m remembering more things as it goes, and adjusting to new information as it comes up. I may contradict myself slightly from time to time. The truth is a journey as much as a destination. Thanks for your patience! https://archive.is/dcooT|D=18|M=12|Y=2022}} An example of this would be seen in the same statement of his expanded list of writers, where he claimed the terminals were also authoritatively "all vetted by management," he later adjusted this to "management vetting never read or cared about continuity" after returning from discussing things privately with others.{{Ref/Twitter|Id=Discrepancy|docabominable|1603050616028368897|Paul Russel|Quote=From what I have gathered by talking to people involved offline: The game and terminal writers were separate teams with overlap; they didn’t think the discrepancy would matter; management vetting never read or cared about continuity; morning bagels were more important than canon. https://archive.is/sW1TP|D=18|M=12|Y=2022}} Overall, these employees could be "other alum" whose discussions that ideas in the terminals were based on, as Frank O'Connor related to Joseph Staten, but not actually writers of the terminals, and it is apparent Russel had simply produced as many names as possible to combat the fan narrative that Frank O'Connor singularly produced them.}} According to [[Paul Russel]], the continuity of the narrative wasn't as thoroughly vetted by management,{{Ref/Reuse|Discrepancy}} who nonetheless approved their inclusion in ''Halo 3''.{{Ref/Twitter|Id=BothApproved|docabominable|1602720596328169475|Paul Russel|Quote=I hoped that came across as MAYBE the discrepancy came up and didn’t seem important against everything happening to get a AAA game out the door. I’m trying to be careful to not put words in others mouths. One thing for sure, H3 shipped with both versions and both were approved. https://archive.is/OfsZG|D=13|M=12|Y=2022}} Damian Isla also worked on the terminal's in-game implementation from a coding perspective while Paul Russel worked on the art.{{Ref/Site|URL=https://www.vice.com/en/article/xwqjg3/the-complete-untold-history-of-halo-an-oral-history/|Site=VICE|Page=The Complete, Untold History of Halo|Quote=I was always doing little tiny incremental things with development throughout, but where I really started working on things going directly into the game was Halo 3, when I worked with (engineer) Damian Isla on the terminals that explained the deeper lore. So I was doing more and more story as we got towards the end of it, and as we started Reach, I got the chance to actually write the script.|Quotee=Frank O'Connor|D=22|M=08|Y=2022}}{{Ref/Reuse|McLees}}

At one point, the terminals were at risk of being cut from the final game because Bungie feared they would not be ready at launch.{{Ref/Reuse|PaulWriterList}} However, Paul Russel and Damian Isla worked extra hours to get the animations, font, and code all correct and working.{{Ref/Reuse|McLees}}

===Relationship with subsequent canon===
{{Quote|The terminal dialogs may themselves be questionable, in light of this new testimony.|A science team leader, regarding the terminals and the contradicting discoveries.}}{{Ref/Reuse|GuiltySpark}}
Parts of the terminals are contradicted by newer information from ''[[The Forerunner Saga]]'' and other subsequent media. These novels are first-hand accounts of the timeframe covered by the terminals and though they are presented as testimonies by in-universe characters, they hold higher canon priority than the terminals. This has been explained by the terminals being partially unreliable in-universe documents; 343 Industries has stated that the [[Rampancy|unstable]] Mendicant Bias manipulated the transmissions to some extent when presenting them to John-117, filtering and editing the information in a way which best suited its own purposes.<ref name="sparkast 17">[http://waypointassets.blob.core.windows.net/mobilecontent/legacysupport/content/assets/en-us/podcast/343Sparkast_017.mp3 '''Halo Waypoint''': ''343 Sparkast 017'']</ref> Thus, the inconsistencies between the sources are attributed to [[Wikipedia:Unreliable narrator|unreliable presentation]], not because the terminals' content has been retconned outright. It was also suggested that Mendicant's communication with John-117, and its reasons behind tampering with the terminals in the specific way it did, may yet play a part in future fiction.{{Ref/Reuse|sparkast 17}}

Regardless, the Forerunner Saga novels feature most of the central events and characters from the terminals, though their timing and many other specifics are changed. The terminals have also been referenced in various pieces of subsequent fiction. In ''[[Halo Mythos]]'', it is stated that when the front half of the {{UNSCShip|Forward Unto Dawn}} arrived at Earth on December 23, 2552, the [[Office of Naval Intelligence]] acquired records of John-117's interactions with the terminals.<ref>'''[[Halo Mythos]]''', ''page 161''</ref> During ONI's interrogation of [[343 Guilty Spark]] (which forms the meta-plot of ''[[Halo: Primordium]]'') the {{UNSCShip|Rubicon}}'s science team references the terminals as a source for their prior information on the Forerunners; they note that the terminals' records are (on some points) incompatible with Guilty Spark's account.<ref name="GuiltySpark">'''Halo: Primordium''', ''page 340''</ref>

Some elements of the terminals were later adapted in ''[[Halo: Silentium]]''; the in-universe conceit for the latter novel's story is the analysis of [[Juridical]] logs found on [[Trevelyan]]. Most notably, the Librarian's self-imposed exile on Erde-Tyrene and her refusal to leave as the Flood approach are carried over rather closely. As in the terminals, she sends the Didact a contemplative message in her final hours while she watches the construction of [[Portal at Voi|the portal structure]] in [[East African Protectorate|eastern Africa]]. Near the end of the novel, Offensive Bias is mentioned as heading off Mendicant Bias' fleet while the Didact prepares the Halos to fire;<ref>'''Halo: Silentium''', ''pages 327-328''</ref> this foreshadows the [[Battle of the Maginot Sphere]], which was introduced in the terminals.

====Human-Forerunner connection====
The terminals, along with the ''[[Iris]]'' marketing campaign, were among the first official sources depicting the history of the Forerunners themselves, through various documents recorded from before the firing of [[Halo Array|the array]]. These sources follow a narrative in which the Forerunners (specifically the [[Librarian]]) discover Earth during the [[Forerunner-Flood war]]; the Librarian shows intense fascination at the planet's biota, calling it an "anomalous world" that may provide answers to the Forerunners' "own mysteries".{{Ref/Marketing|Id=Iris5|Halo 3|Iris|[[Server/Five|Server 5]]}} More specifically, she is fixated on Earth's population of humans, who are shown as living in a paleolithic state. This version is also followed in the log by the Librarian featured in the 2010 reissue of ''[[Halo: The Flood]]'', in which she documents her ongoing indexing of Earth's biota, including the various species of human.

Within materials in and related to ''Halo 3'', the narrative regarding the human-Forerunner connection suffered a disconnect from developer miscommunication. According to statements from [[David Candland]], [[Paul Russel]], and [[Jaime Griesemer]]: The "Game" team had continued the main idea that the Forerunners were humanity's ancient ancestors, following this intention through from being conceptualized during pre-production of ''[[Halo: Combat Evolved]]'',{{Ref/Site|Id=candlandhbo|URL=http://forums.bungie.org/halo/archive36.pl?read=1070818|Site=halo.bungie.org|Page=Re: Why retcons don't bother me anymore|Quote=One of the most striking retcons to me is the basic concept of whole role of humanity. Originally (back in Halo 1) the reason why humans weren't conquered and incorporated into the Covenant collective was because their presence defied Covenant religion. When the Covenant discovered humans, they knew they were forerunners, but their presence implied the "great journey" failed. They also weren't the all powerful gods they worshiped, so the Prophets wanted to "sweep them under the carpet," as it were. The plot lines in our games imply this everywhere - the chief being called reclaimer, only humans being able to retrieve and insert the index, Spark telling the chief, "you are forerunner." etc.|Quotee=David Candland|D=23|M=12|Y=2022}}{{Ref/Twitter|Id=Jaimeshorthistory|32nds|1619802396544348160|Jaime Griesemer|Quote=I’d say it was a big part of prepro for H1, was in the background of H1 when it shipped, was at one point going to be revealed in H2 but got tabled when we cut the ending, and then mostly abandoned in H3 because new writers thought it was too silly to hit as the BIG reveal.|D=29|M=01|Y=2023}} shown in the original tabled ending for ''[[Halo 2]]'' (described [[Earth Ark#Escaping the Ark|here]]) and echoed in Mendicant Bias's statements regarding humanity in ''[[Halo: Contact Harvest]].''{{Ref/Twitter|Id=TerminalsAddPrecursors|docabominable|1603095968345620480|Paul Russel|Quote=The way I understand it is that the terminal version is the same but adds the precursor angle of selecting a subset of humans to advance. https://archive.is/wip/57bY6|D=14|M=12|Y=2022}}{{Ref/Reuse|Id=Discrepancy}} Additionally, In the [[Halo (Halo_3_level)|last level]] of ''Halo 3'' the final line of cinematic dialogue from [[343 Guilty Spark]]: "''You are Forerunner!''"{{Ref/Level|Id=YouareForerunner|Game=Halo 3|Level=[[Halo (Halo 3 level)]]|Quote=You are the child of my makers. Inheritor of all they left behind. You are Forerunner! But this ring... is mine.|Quotee=343 Guilty Spark}} was intended to reveal this information, supposing to wrap up the mystery of the Forerunners identity.{{Ref/Reuse|candlandhbo}}{{Ref/Twitter|Id=JaimeYouareForerunner|32nds|1619837534074437633|Jaime Griesemer|Quote=It’s a reveal that just points at another mystery. Very JJ Abrams. I didn’t love it but it was an attempt to wrap up that thread, yeah.|D=29|M=01|Y=2023}} This version suggests that the Forerunners regressed themselves technologically after the firing of the Halos, and in effect ''became'' humanity as we know it, with modern humanity being described as "children" of the Forerunners.{{Ref/Level|Id=TruthYourForefathers|Game=Halo 3|Level=[[The Covenant (level)]]|Quote=Your forefathers wisely set aside their compassion. Steeled themselves for what needed to be done. I see now why they left you behind. You were weak. And gods must be strong.|Quotee=Prophet of Truth}}{{Ref/Level|Id=ChildOfMyEnemy|Game=Halo 3|Level=[[Cortana (level)]]|Quote=Child of my enemy, why have you come? I offer no forgiveness. A father's sins pass to his son.|Quotee=Gravemind}}{{Ref/Level|Id=SparksCombatBarks|Game=Halo 3|Level=[[Halo (Halo 3 level)]]|Quote=Think of your forefathers!, Do not destroy your inheritance!, Accept your legacy!|Quotee=343 Guilty Spark}}

The "Terminals" team had changed this to be somewhat different, reworking the idea to where the Forerunners were a subset of early sapiens, uplifted by the Precursors to a higher technological level-notably still the same species.{{Ref/Twitter|Id=TerminalsIntention|docabominable|1603053863866880000|Paul Russel|Quote=One of the writers said that the (terminal) forerunners were a '…subset of early humans uplifted by another group (the precursors?)'. Also 'I don’t believe that management gave a single shit about any story element...they only cared about shipping a game.' https://archive.is/fkTOC|D=14|M=12|Y=2022}}{{Ref/Twitter|Id=TerminalsNotSeperateSpecies|docabominable|1603054539384524800|Paul Russel|Quote=My friend who was on the terminal writing team said they’re not a separate species, but a group of early humans who were uplifted by a more advanced civilization. https://archive.is/DTNKb|D=14|M=12|Y=2022}}{{Ref/Twitter|Id=TerminalsPrecursorsSaipens|docabominable|1603260089854558208|Paul Russel|Quote=A couple people on the terminal team told me that the precursors picked a group of sapiens to become forerunner. If evolutionary timescales are involved, this could explain their different appearance in H4. It’s my personal best guess based on my understanding. https://archive.is/PcPA5|D=15|M=12|Y=2022}} This idea is also plainly seen in ''[[Iris]]'', with it as well having the Librarian discovering Earth and indexing the humans she finds, noting her personal allurement to both. However, while Iris specifically depicts this planet as Earth,{{Ref/Reuse|Id=Iris5}}{{Ref/Marketing|Id=CoL|Halo 3|Iris|Cradle of Life}} neither the terminals or Iris explicitly comment on the biological connection between Forerunners and humanity. Paul Russel has explained: "The game and terminal writers were separate teams with overlap; they didn’t think the discrepancy would matter; management vetting never read or cared about continuity; morning bagels were more important than canon."{{Ref/Reuse|Id=Discrepancy}} and ''Halo 3'' was approved to ship with both versions.{{Ref/Reuse|Id=BothApproved}}

In ''Halo: Contact Harvest'', a Forerunner [[Luminary]] designates the humans on [[Harvest]] with the symbol meaning "Reclaimer", and [[Mendicant Bias]] explicitly states that "those it represents are my makers", an evidently unambiguous statement indicating that humans and Forerunners are synonymous. [[Joseph Staten]] began writing ''Halo: Contact Harvest'' while he was placed on temporary administrative leave to resolve differences between him and [[Marcus Lehto]].{{Ref/Site|Id=JoeVICE|URL=https://www.vice.com/en/article/xwqjg3/the-complete-untold-history-of-halo-an-oral-history/|Site=VICE|Page=The Complete, Untold History of Halo|Quote=A big thing that happened is that Marcus and I had a giant argument. He said he was done working with me, and I with him. I think everybody agreed that the best thing was for me to take a big break from working on Halo. So I took an extended sabbatical. [...] I became sort of the de facto franchise guy for the Halo universe during the early stage of Halo 3’s pre-production.|Quotee=Joseph Staten|D=22|M=08|Y=2022}} According to Paul Russel, the decisions for the terminals were made around this time.{{Ref/Twitter|Id=AdminLeave|docabominable|1602510864774582272|Paul Russel|Quote=I think that another way to look at it is that Joe was on “administrative leave” when he wrote the book, and wasn’t in the studio during much of H3. He honestly had no position at Bungie at the time and wasn’t privy to what was happening with the terminals while writing the book. https://archive.is/hmGTO|D=18|M=12|Y=2022}}{{Ref/Twitter|Id=AdminLeave2|docabominable|1602511567307816960|Paul Russel|Quote=See, Marcus had said “him or me” after H2, and Bungie chose Marcus. They put Joe out to pasture to chill, kept him on the payroll to write Contact Harvest, out of the loop. https://archive.is/JXK4w|D=18|M=12|Y=2022}} While Joseph was working on the novel, ideation and drafts were being vetted by terminal writers [[Frank O'Connor]] and [[Robert McLees]], as they were the keepers of the [[Halo Story Bible]].{{Ref/Site|Id=BnetCH|URL=http://halo.bungie.net/News/content.aspx?type=topnews&cid=12430|Site=Bungie.net|Page=Halo: Contact Harvest|D=07|M=02|Y=2021}} According to a Q&A on Bungie.net, Bungie "shoved Joe through the castle gates and slammed them closed behind him" to write the novel for a year, before resuming work on Halo 3.{{Ref/Reuse|Id=BnetCH}}{{Ref/Twitter|Id=AdminLeave3|docabominable|1602513112850378752|Paul Russel|Quote=To be clear, this wasn't a punishment for Joe. To reduce tension and remind that 'writer' is a position, Rob Stokes led H3's writing team for a bit, then Joe came back at the end for polish and finish. By then differences were settled, heads cooled. https://archive.is/dLJwE|D=18|M=12|Y=2022}} Joseph had left the studio during early ''Halo 3'' pre-production,{{Ref/Reuse|Id=JoeVICE}} a period ending in December 2005,{{Ref/Twitter|MaxHoberman|1646699110328664064|Max Hoberman|Quote=Alright, here's trivia Round 3, coming in hot because I have to run. This image is from a Halo 3 multiplayer map, at the end of preproduction. Which map is it?|D=13|M=4|Y=2023}}{{Ref/Twitter|MaxHoberman|1647388301609910272|Max Hoberman|Quote=December 2005|D=15|M=4|Y=2023}} and returned to work on ''Halo 3'' in 2006.{{Ref/Site|Id=LinkedIn|URL=https://www.linkedin.com/in/joseph-staten-8196015/|Site=LinkedIn|Page=Joseph Staten|Quote=Writer, "Halo 3," "Halo: Reach" 2006 - 2009 · 3 yrs|D=15|M=4|Y=2023}} According to Joseph, "[The novel] was supposed to come out before Halo 3, but honestly I was so busy helping finish the game that the novel's release date slipped by about a month. Fortunately, this gave me time to deliver a much more polished draft. We locked Halo 3 then I locked myself in a room for a month and made a number of really critical tweaks." He had also said "folks who spend the time to find and read the Halo 3 terminals will definitely have more insight into one of the major, climactic scenes in the book".{{Ref/Site|Id=1up|URL=http://www.1up.com/news/halo-contact-harvest|Site=1UP|Page=Halo: Contact Harvest Q&A|D=17|M=10|Y=2012}} He would again thank Frank O'Connor and Robert McLees for their work as writing editors throughout the process in the final release of ''Contact Harvest''.{{Ref/Novel|CH|''Acknowledgements''}}

With this, Staten is known be involved with both ''Halo 3's'' "game" story and ''Contact Harvest'', where the original Forerunner intention is presented in explicit statements in both respective media. It is not specifically confirmed, but made certainly clear that Joseph Staten was writing on these materials with the original intention. With Robert and Frank being both writers on the ''Halo 3'' terminals and editors for the novel, and Joseph having knowledge of the terminals, it is unknown why the contradiction took place. The potential insight from the terminals that Staten had mentioned is likely meant to refer to the backstory of Mendicant Bias. His behavior and statements in ''Contact Harvest'' match to how he is in the final terminal, and his appearance is in the major reveal scene of the book.{{Ref/Novel|Id=CHBIAS|CH|Chapter=16|Quote=< I WILL REJECT MY BIAS AND MAKE AMENDS > [...] < MY MAKERS ARE MY MASTERS > [...] < I WILL BRING THEM SAFELY TO THE ARK >}}{{Ref/Level|Id=MBT7|Game=Halo 3|Level=Halo|Detail=Legendary Terminal|Quote= But I want something far different from you, Reclaimer. Atonement. [...] But I will do all I can to keep it stable - keep you safe.|Quotee=Mendicant Bias}}

Notably, [[:File:MMO Forerunner Concept 2.jpg|concept art]] for the cancelled ''Halo'' MMO ''Titan'', developed by [[Ensemble Studios]], depicted the Forerunners as ostensibly human, supposedly reflecting the creators' intent at the time of the game's development. The ''[[Origins]]'' short in ''[[Halo Legends]]'', released in 2009 by 343 Industries, depicts the Forerunners as armored humanoids with a human-like build, including five-fingered hands; later media would establish them as having six fingers by default. However, the canonicity of ''Origins'' was presented as nebulous even at the time of the short's release, with the noted caveat that the visuals and events shown are [[Cortana]]'s interpretations rather than being necessarily reflective of in-universe reality.{{Ref/Film|Id=OriginsCommentary|Halo Legends|Story=Origins audio commentary}}

When [[343 Industries]] was developing ''[[The Forerunner Saga]],'' the modern concepts for the human-Forerunner relationship were established, with there being considerable changes from the previous intentions. They are presented as being clearly distinct species in both the novels and subsequent visual media, which depict the Forerunners as humanoid but decidedly alien, contrasted with the explicitly human [[Ancestors]]. The novels greatly extended the timeline of Forerunner involvement with humanity. Rather than being a discovered during the [[Conservation Measure]], Earth has been known to the Forerunners since ancient times by the time the novels are set, and has been used as an outpost by the Librarian for nine millennia prior to the firing of the Halos. Although the humans have been devolved to a primitive state by the Forerunners, they are depicted as a civilization with a long history of contact, rivalry, and war with the Forerunners. Despite these distinctions, the novels' point-of-view characters frequently note various similarities between them, and there are several instances in which in the early history of both is noted as being shrouded in mystery.{{Ref|Group=Note|For example, how or when the Ancestors had reached the point of interstellar travel is not well known. Notably, within the narrative [[Forthencho]] distrusts the notion of Earth being their homeworld, thinking of ruins found on other worlds.{{Ref/Novel|Id=PrimChp21|Primordium|Chapter=21|Quote=I had severe doubts that Erda was our planet of origin. Other worlds in other systems seemed more likely. I had been to many of them and had viewed their ancient ruins.}}}} Through sources like ''[[Halo: Point of Light]]'' and the 2022 ''[[Halo Encyclopedia (2022 edition)|Halo Encyclopedia]]'', Forerunners and humans have been revealed to have been split off from a species created from a base stock by the Precursors fifteen million years ago.{{Ref/Site|D=18|M=11|Y=2022|URL=https://www.halowaypoint.com/news/wintertime-wrap|Site=Halo Waypoint|Page=Wintertime Wrap}} While the origin or nature of the "base stock" is not elaborated on, this explanation is somewhat conceptually similar to the terminal writers' intent of the Forerunners being an offshoot of early terrestrial humans.{{Ref|Group=Note|Assuming [[wikipedia:Timeline of human evolution|modern interpretations]] of the fossil record apply, the dating of the split would mean the common ancestor of both species would predate anything recognized as "human" today. It is notable that modern interpretations of the timeline of human evolution are called into question even in ''Iris'' through the [[Society of the Ancients]] and related elements such as ''[[The Castaway Theory]]'' and the [[out-of-place handprint]], though these reinterpretations are framed as a conspiracy theory.}}

====The Didact's involvement====
One of the most notable incongruities occurs in Terminal 3, in which the Librarian asks the Didact if he has learned nothing from 300 years of warfare against with the Flood. According to ''[[Halo: Cryptum]]'', the Didact went into [[Cryptum|exile]] around [[98,445 BCE]] and was not recovered until roughly a decade before the end of the war in [[97,445 BCE]]. Barring a retcon, the simplest explanation is that the Librarian was referring to the [[Warrior-Servant]]s' ability to share sensory information, or that he could have researched the preceding centuries of war via the [[Domain]].

In ''[[Soma the Painter]]'', which acts as a form of primer for ''The Forerunner Saga'' (having been released less than two months before ''Halo: Cryptum'' in ''[[Halo: Evolutions - Essential Tales of the Halo Universe|Halo: Evolutions Volume II]]''), the Didact is referenced by the [[Auditor]] as if he were available and supposedly in command of Forerunner defense during the Forerunners' contact with the Flood around [[97,745 BCE]].<ref>'''Halo: Evolutions Volume II''', ''page 10''</ref>

====The Didact and the Halos====
The transmissions exchanged by the Didact (the IsoDidact in the context of ''The Forerunner Saga'') and the Librarian preceding the Halos' firing also present a number of discrepancies with ''Halo: Silentium''. In the terminals, the status quo of the Didact leading Forerunner defense from [[Installation 00]] while the Librarian catalogs the galaxy's lifeforms is implied to have continued for the duration of the war. The Didact is adamant until the end in his refusal to use the Halos, before the Librarian strands herself on Earth. Even at this point the Didact attempts to send a rescue party to retrieve his wife, but the rescue party is destroyed by Mendicant Bias as it attacks the Maginot Sphere. This finally deprives the Didact of options but the activation of the Array.

In ''Halo: Silentium'', the IsoDidact's acceptance of the Halo Array develops over a longer period of time; by the time he makes it to Installation 00 in the final hours of the war, he is fully convinced of the Array's necessity and shows much less hesitation to sacrifice the Librarian's life. While the Librarian travels to Earth to draw off the Flood, no rescue party is mentioned; however, at the Librarian's request, the IsoDidact sends a vessel which will be converted into materials to construct the [[Portal at Voi|portal to the Ark]].<ref>'''Halo: Silentium''', ''pages 309, 312, 314''</ref> Much of the Didact's stubborn opposition to the Halos depicted in the terminals is relegated to the Ur-Didact and acts as a motivator for many of his actions.<ref>'''Halo: Silentium''', ''page 230''</ref>

====Mendicant Bias' betrayal====
Another inconsistency involves the timeframe of Mendicant Bias' betrayal. In Terminal 3, the Didact refers to Mendicant Bias as an ally; the context of the message implies that the AI was created during the Forerunner-Flood war. However, ''Halo: Cryptum'' shows that Mendicant Bias had been created prior to the Didact's exile and had already gone rogue [[97,495 BCE|43 years]] before the latter's revival. The novel depicts Mendicant Bias' [[Battle of the Capital|assault on the Capital]], which occurred only weeks after the Didact's resuscitation and before he regained command of the Forerunner military. ''Halo: Primordium'' shows that the "Mendicant Bias" that attacked the capital was only a fragment of the AI's [[personality construct array]] and that the Forerunners attempted to alleviate the shard's rampancy. ''[[Halo: Silentium]]'' states that the procedure was successful and the metarch's components were spread across the galaxy for the sake of compartmentalization. However, as the Flood overran most of the ecumene, Mendicant Bias' disparate parts were found and, within several years, the AI was reconstituted.<ref>'''Halo: Silentium''', ''page 267-268''</ref>

In the terminals, Mendicant's defection immediately precedes the Flood's gathering into one massive force and subsequent attack on the Maginot Sphere; it is implied that the AI had not directly engaged Forerunners before the final battle against Offensive Bias. The novels describe Mendicant Bias as fighting on the Flood's side for several years, beginning with its attack on the Capital.

====The Precursors and the Mantle====
The prominent exploration of the [[Precursor]]s in ''The Forerunner Saga'' (including the Flood's use of their artifacts as weapons or the Precursors' relationship with the Flood) is not discussed in the terminals, as the details about the Precursors were not conceived until the writing of the novels. The Precursors are mentioned only in passing, as the mythical beings the Forerunners believed them to be; even in the endgame of the war, the Didact insists that the Forerunners, once they succeed, can "follow in their footsteps". In ''The Forerunner Saga'', the Didact already knew the truth about the Precursors and their transmutation into the Flood at this point and certainly would not have regarded them with such a reverential tone.

The terminals present the Forerunners' stagnation and their refusal to accept the Flood as the next step and salvation of galactic life as being Mendicant Bias' primary motive for [[Logic plague|defecting]]. In ''Halo: Primordium'', Mendicant Bias states that it "fulfills the wishes of those who created us all", implying that the [[Primordial]]'s Precursor-derived authority and the [[Domain]]'s revelation of [[Forerunner-Precursor war|the truth]] about the Forerunner-Precursor relationship were a major contributor to the AI's turning against its creators.<ref>'''Halo: Primordium''', ''page 338''</ref> The terminals describe the Forerunners as making their first contact with the Flood on [[Seaward|G 617 g]] in the beginning of the three-century-long Forerunner-Flood war; the novels establish that the Forerunners were aware of the Flood ten thousand years in advance, having taken part in its sterilization in the later half of the [[human-Forerunner war]]s.<ref>'''Halo: Silentium''', ''page 36''</ref>

In the terminals, the [[Mantle]] is depicted as little more than a Forerunner belief system, which the Librarian outright shuns as superstition and the cause of the Forerunners' weakness in the face of the Flood onslaught. In ''The Forerunner Saga'', the Mantle is established to be something more multifaceted and universal, with different characters having varying views as to its nature and interpretation. The Librarian is portrayed as being against the stagnation and decadence of Forerunner society and the oppression they committed in the name of the Mantle, but maintains her belief in the ideal of the Mantle itself, even grooming humanity to reclaim it.

==Trivia==
In Terminal 4, the Librarian states that she can see the Flood's ships blotting out the stars at night as they gather from across the galaxy and converge on the Line. This should be impossible, as the light from different stars in the galaxy would take any number of centuries or millennia to reach Earth to be seen with the naked eye, as well as the ships needing to be in Slipspace in order to travel faster-than-light.

==Gallery==
<gallery>
File:H3-ArkTerminalOrb.png|Detail of the orb of a ''Halo 3'' terminal.
File:21275120-Full-crop.jpg|Close-up of an Ark Terminal.
File:Halo 3 Terminal.jpg|Another Terminal on the Ark in ''Halo 3''.
File:Halo-3-20070923023513975.jpg|[[John-117]] encountering a terminal aboard the [[Installation 00|Ark]].
File:Halo-3-20070923030012049.jpg|Text on an Ark Terminal.
File:Terminalclosed.jpg|A closed Terminal.
</gallery>

==Notes==
{{Ref/Notes}}
<references group="note"/>

==Sources==
{{Ref/Sources}}

==External links==
*[http://haloterms.bungie.org/ ''Interactive Terminal archive'' compiled by '''halo.bungie.org''']

{{Terminals}}
[[Category:Halo 3]]
[[Category:Terminals]]