Editing Ur-Didact

{{Era|Forerunner|Post}}

{{Character Infobox

|image=[[File:Ur-Didact.png|300px]]

|homeworld=

|birth=[[110,225 BCE]]<ref name="waypoint didact"/>

|death=[[2557#July|July 26, 2557]] (original body)<ref name="waypoint didact">[https://www.halowaypoint.com/en-us/universe/characters/didact '''Halo Waypoint''': ''Didact'']</ref>

|height= {{Convert|11.4|ft|m|sp=us|disp=flip}}<ref name="H4EVG">'''[[Halo 4: The Essential Visual Guide]]''', ''page 16''</ref>

|mass={{Convert|794.9|lb|kg|disp=flip}}<ref name="H4EVG"/>

|hair=

*Dark brown fur<ref name="h4">'''Halo 4'''</ref>

|eyes=

*Red

**Formerly gray<ref name="p79"/>

|affiliation=[[Ecumene]]; presently allied with [[Jul 'Mdama's Covenant faction]]

|rank= [[Protector of the ecumene]] ([[Rate|R]]: [[Warrior-Servant]])

{{Quote|The peaceful one is at war without and within.|The [[Mantle]], Fifth Permutation of the Didact's Number}}

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

Originally thought to have been killed by the [[Master Builder]], [[Faber]],<ref name="c339">'''Halo: Cryptum''', ''page 339''</ref> the Didact effectively existed as two individuals during the final days of the [[Forerunner-Flood war]]; his original self, as well as his implanted consciousness within a young Forerunner known as Bornstellar Makes Eternal Lasting. To differentiate these two incarnations, the original Didact was referred to as the '''Ur-Didact''', while his other incarnation was known as the [[IsoDidact]].<ref name="amazon">[http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0765323982/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=heaprcom05-20&linkCode=as2&camp=217145&creativeASIN=0765323982 '''Amazon.com''': ''Halo: Silentium official description'']</ref> The Ur-Didact was eventually exiled on [[Requiem]], not to be awakened until [[2557]];<ref name="true Didact">[http://www.gregbear.com/blog/display.cfm?id=6897 '''Gregbear.com:''' ''HALO 4 DIDACT'']</ref> meanwhile, the IsoDidact served until the final days of the Flood conflict and was responsible for activating the Halo Array.<ref>'''Halo: Silentium''', ''String 38''</ref> After facing [[SPARTAN-II program|Spartan]] [[John-117]] and the rest of [[Blue Team]], the Ur-Didact's biological form was destroyed under the combined power of several [[Composer]]s. While he is considered "contained" by the [[Office of Naval Intelligence]], it is apparent his digitized consciousness survives.<ref name="waypoint didact"/>

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

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

{{Quote|My finest opponent, the Mantle accepts all who live fiercely, who defend their young, who build and struggle and grow, and even those who dominate—as humans have dominated, cruelly and without wisdom. But to all of us there is a time like this, when the [[Domain]] seeks to confirm our essences, and for you, that time is now. Know this, relentless enemy, killer of our children, Lord of Admirals: soon we will face the enemy you have faced and defeated. I can see that challenge coming to the Forerunners, and so do many others... And we are afraid.|The Didact to [[Forthencho|Forthencho, Lord of Admirals]], in the aftermath of the [[siege of Charum Hakkor]].}}

[[File:H4-Terminal-Didact.jpg|thumb|left|250px|The Didact's form for the majority of his career.]]

During the [[human-Forerunner wars]], the Didact led the Forerunner military against [[prehistoric human civilization|humanity]]. His personal command vessel, ''[[Mantle's Approach]]'', was also built during these conflicts.<ref>'''[[Halo 4: The Essential Visual Guide]]''', ''page 193''</ref> His method of carrying out campaigns in interstellar war involved a strategy referred to as "[[star-hopping]]", isolating and besieging points of strategic importance while ignoring any less significant targets.<ref name="pri187">'''Halo: Primordium''', ''page 187-188''</ref> He was also known for favoring the [[fleet spiral]] formation in space engagements.<ref>'''Halo: Silentium''', ''page 267''</ref> As they pushed back human forces in the galactic margins in the later phases of the war, the Didact's fleets came across thousands of worlds infested by the [[Flood]], which was already retreating from the galaxy. Though some Forerunner fleets were lost in the first encounters with the parasite, the Didact's forces eventually managed to sterilize all of the remaining infestations.<ref>'''Halo: Silentium''', ''page 36''</ref>

Though all of the Didact's children died in the war, the Forerunners were victorious; humanity was devolved and quarantined on their home planet of Erde-Tyrene, a fate which the Didact found to be just and fitting. After the [[Siege of Charum Hakkor|final battle of Charum Hakkor]], he and a group of Prometheans, including the [[Confirmer]], discovered a [[stasis capsule]] on Charum Hakkor which contained the [[Primordial]], the last of the [[Precursor]]s. After a brief exchange with the Primordial, the Didact sealed its [[timelock]] for nearly the next ten thousand years. He revealed what the Primordial had spoken to none, not even the Librarian.<ref>'''Halo: Silentium''', ''String 3''</ref> After the war, the Didact issued the construction of [[Monolith|several monuments]] near [[Sothra Hakkor]] to honor the fallen warriors that died during the war.<ref>'''[[Making Halo 4]]:''' ''[[Making Halo 4: Majestic Map Pack|Majestic Map Pack]]''</ref>

Following the end of the war and the first discovery of the Flood, he advocated a policy of vigilance and research in the event of a Flood resurgence. He also proposed the construction of significant numbers of [[shield world]]s across the galaxy in order to monitor the galaxy for Flood outbreaks and provide military support should they occur; this strategy was to involve the characteristic star-hopping tactics he had utilized in the war with humankind.<ref name="pri187"/> However, a faction of Builders led by [[Master Builder]] [[Faber-of-Will-and-Might]] proposed the construction of a series of [[Halo Array|superweapons]] to deal with the Flood instead; the Didact viewed these weapons as an affront to the Mantle. Although the Didact and his Promethean allies managed to delay the construction of the Halos for several thousands of years, the Master Builder was eventually successful in convincing the [[Ecumene Council|Council]] to sanction their plans. The Didact's defeat was finalized around [[101,000 BCE]], when the [[Juridical]]s ruled against him. He was forced to stop his ongoing construction of shield worlds and was ordered to turn over all his records and submit to the authority of the Master Builder. He refused, and was stripped of his power and forced into exile as a result.<ref>'''Halo: Silentium''', ''page 47''</ref>

The Didact last met his wife in their family residence on [[Nomdagro]]. Forced to enter a [[Cryptum]], he was led into [[Xankara|meditative hibernation]] in a ritual overseen by an associate of [[Haruspis]]. During his last meal with the Librarian, the Didact expressed hope in her abilities of foresight and hoped the humans under her care would not disappoint her.<ref>'''Halo: Silentium''', String 4</ref>

{{Quote|All we have tried to do as inheritors of the Mantle—all that will be violated, and the galaxy will be murdered... because [[Builder|they]] do not understand. Worse, [[Flood|it]] may already be loose. Join your human friends and sing sad songs, Manipular. There is judgment, and just doom is upon us all.|The Didact to Bornstellar after his awakening.}}

 

Before arriving in the [[San'Shyuum home system]], the Didact performed a [[Forerunner mutation|brevet mutation]] on the young Manipular to allow him access to the [[Domain]]. With the mutation, the Didact [[Mind transfer|transferred]] his imprint—containing his consciousness, along with all of his memories and knowledge—to Bornstellar, although they would not awaken within the Manipular until later on. Shortly afterward, they arrived in the San'Shyuum system and met with the Confirmer, one of the Didact's Promethean comrades, on the [[Fortress-class vessel]] ''[[Deep Reverence]]'', in order to gain access to the quarantined region of the system.

However, in orbit over [[Janjur Qom]], the primary San'Shyuum world, the Didact's ship was intercepted and dismantled by the Master Builder's forces who had been present in the system quelling a [[Battle of Janjur Qom|San'Shyuum rebellion]]. The Didact and the others were taken prisoner; in the subsequent interrogations, the Didact refused to divulge information on the shield worlds or the control codes for the Contender-class ancillas.<ref name="c339"/> Although other Forerunners, including the Librarian, believed that the Didact had been executed, the Master Builder had in fact left him, along with a number of other Forerunners, to die, confined in [[stasis bubble]]s in a derelict ship within a Flood-controlled system.<ref name="amazon"/>

Meanwhile, the Didact's personality imprint in Bornstellar's body took full control of the Manipular, effectively making him a copy of the Didact.<ref>'''Halo: Primordium''', ''page 348''</ref> After surviving the [[Battle of the capital|assault]] by [[Mendicant Bias]] on the [[Capital]], Bornstellar reunited with the Librarian on the [[greater Ark]]. In the absence of the Didact, Bornstellar—now known as the [[IsoDidact]]—resumed the Didact's duties as supreme commander of Forerunner military due to the present threat of the Flood.<ref name="c339"/>

An unknown period of time—suspected to be at least a year by the Didact himself—after his capture, the Didact was released from his stasis bubble due to a power failure. Assessing his situation, the Didact soon found that he was aboard a barely functioning hulk, without armor or weapons. Soon, he encountered [[Sharp-by-Striking]], one of his Prometheans who, like many other Warrior-Servants, had chosen to join [[Builder Security]] since the Didact's exile. Sharp explained that they were deep within a [[Burn]], a region of space controlled by the Flood. As they explored the hulk, the two Prometheans discovered stasis bubbles holding two more Forerunners. Destroying the fields with their brute strength, they released the other prisoners, which turned out to include a high-ranking Builder named [[Maker-of-Moons]] and [[Catalog]], both of whom had been found problematic by the Master Builder who had disposed of them as a result. After Maker told him that she had helped design the Halos, the Didact erupted in a maniacal burst of laughter whilst pounding his fist on the bulkhead; the other Forerunners regarded this with bewildered revulsion, as laughter was considered barbaric per Forerunner social standards.<ref name="string5-7">'''Halo: Silentium''', ''Strings 5-7''</ref>

Making their way to the bridge, the Didact and the others managed to gain minimal control of the ship and assess their surroundings. They were approaching a planet recognized by the Didact as [[Uthera Midgeerrd]], which was revealed to be infested by the Flood, while a Flood-controlled fleet was bearing on their ship. Additionally, the ship's sensors detected an unknown object approaching them at a high velocity. As it moved closer, the object was identified as a strange bundle of reactivated Precursor [[star road]]s, no longer inert and unresponsive as they had been for millions of years. As the Precursor artifact approached, the Didact decided to stay aboard the ship, determined to gain answers with the knowledge that even if he perished, his duplicate would continue his work. Catalog chose to accompany him while the other two Forerunners would attempt to escape the ship as it self-destructed. Before leaving, Maker-of-Moons gave the Didact her [[Forerunner personal armor|armor]] as a sign of respect.<ref name="string5-7"/>

{{Quote|This quest to fulfill the Mantle has haunted me my entire life. And for countless millennia, we have failed to realize the one truth that could have saved us from the beginning. The Mantle isn't to be inherited by the noble, it is to be taken by the strong.|The Ur-Didact announces his new beliefs to the IsoDidact.}}

The Didact and Catalog were swiftly taken prisoner by the Flood fleet converging on the ship. The Didact, completely immobilized in stasis by a powerful grappler field, was taken to a Flood-controlled ship and confronted by the Gravemind, recognized by the Didact as the same intelligence as the [[Primordial]], which he had interrogated ten thousand years prior. The Gravemind invaded the Didact's mind and inflicted upon him unspeakable mental torment in a process described by the Didact as more of a malediction than a conversation. However, the Gravemind did not intend to kill or infect the Didact, instead turning the Forerunners' greatest warrior into an unwitting pawn to sow chaos in the remains of the ecumene.<ref name="string12">'''Halo: Silentium''', ''String 12''</ref>

Thus the Gravemind released the Didact and left him aboard an empty spacecraft, intentionally sending the ship where the Master Builder—who had been salvaging any ships he found in his own operation to combat the Flood—would find it. Meeting with Faber, the Didact delivered him a painful message from the Gravemind, taunting the Master Builder with the suffering of his family who had been absorbed into the Flood collective. Seemingly taking pleasure in conveying the news to his old enemy, the Didact stated that Faber and his Halos were to blame for their predicament.<ref>'''Halo: Silentium''', ''String 29''</ref> Faber delivered the Didact to the core of the ecumene, where both were deposed by the Juridicals. Against his strongest objections, the Didact (now differentiated from the IsoDidact with the title "Ur-Didact") was forced to recall his encounter with the Gravemind—which he had managed to partially shunt away from his memory—as part of the interrogation, dealing further damage to his sanity.<ref name="string12"/>

[[File:H4Terminal-DidactProcedure.jpg|thumb|250px|The Ur-Didact, accompanied by a fellow Promethean, after undergoing a failed procedure to gain an immunity to the Flood.]]

The Ur-Didact's privileges were subsequently restored, although the IsoDidact remained in command of the ecumene's military.<ref>'''Halo: Silentium''', ''page 216''</ref> Cast aside by the ecumene at large, the Ur-Didact returned to [[Requiem]], where he continued his own mission against the Flood onslaught. Convinced that his old strategies were no longer workable now that the Gravemind had learned everything, he desperately began to devise new methods of combating the Flood—going so far as applying the philosophy of the enemy. Failing to decipher Flood immunity via other means—including an experimental procedure which left him disfigured—he acquired a [[Composer]], a machine once designed to rid Forerunners of Flood infection via [[mind transfer|converting their essences]] to digital form but abandoned long since due to several functional defects. The Ur-Didact decided to use the Composer to transfer his Prometheans from their biological forms to [[Promethean Knight|war machines]], which he believed would allow them to fight the Flood without risking infection; he did not subject himself to Composer processing, stating that the device would no longer have worked on his new form. While the machines did little to slow the Flood's undaunted advance, the Didact believed that the issue lay in their inadequate numbers, wholly failing to recognize the sheer futility of the strategy.<ref name="h4terminals">'''Halo 4''', ''[[Terminal/Halo 4|Terminals]]''</ref>

{{Quote|The Halos? Violating the Mantle all over again, with even greater destruction! Wiping out all intelligent life across this galaxy! By itself that proves you are a poor version. You’ve altered your strategic vision... Don't you feel the truth of it? We gave the Precursors reason to retreat into madness. A passion for vengeance. And the Gravemind gave it all right back to me. I am filled with that passion, that madness, that poison! If we fire Halo, we lose everything.|The Ur-Didact responding to the IsoDidact's changed views on the Halos.}}

Four years after his return to the ecumene,<ref>'''Halo: Silentium''', ''pages 28, 197''</ref> a meeting was arranged between the Ur-Didact, the Librarian and the IsoDidact. The three gathered in the Didact's and Librarian's family domicile on [[Nomdagro]], now ravaged by Council agents looking for evidence of possible crimes. The reunion soon turned out to be less than a happy one: the Ur-Didact, his perceptions and views distorted by his madness, began to argue with both the Librarian and his own duplicate that the latter's actions and methods endangered the Forerunners and new, more extreme strategies had to be adopted in order for the Forerunners to survive. The Didact had deduced that the Flood had consciously favored humans by deliberately receding ten thousand years earlier and that they were specifically targeting Forerunners as an act of revenge. By extension, he came to the conclusion that the Librarian's favoring of humanity was a goal shared by the Flood—something he saw as a profound betrayal.<ref name="string12"/>

{{Quote|No longer a Promethean. No longer a Warrior-Servant. A traitor!|The IsoDidact responding to the Ur-Didact using a Composer on [[Omega Halo]], and then deserting the Forerunners.<ref>'''Halo: Silentium''', ''String 33''</ref>}}

[[File:H4Terminal-DidactKnights.jpg|thumb|left|250px|The Ur-Didact, surrounded by his newly-created Promethean Knights.]]

At the greater Ark, the Ur-Didact remained on station aboard the ''Mantle's Approach'', not leaving the ship even to attend the Forerunner commanders' emergency conference. He was briefly visited by the Librarian, who was further horrified by what her husband had become.<ref>'''Halo: Silentium''', ''Strings 28-30''</ref> As the greater Ark fell under siege by the Flood and star roads, the Ur-Didact expressed no desire to partake in its defense, cryptically stating that he would leave after he had finished his task. The Ur-Didact's plan was revealed during the ensuing chaos, when he took ''Mantle's Approach''—supported by thousands of [[sentinel]]s under his control—to the nearby [[Omega Halo]] and used a [[Composer]] to [[Mind transfer|harvest]] the installation's entire human population—the bulk of what remained of the Librarian's human specimens. The Librarian attempted in vain to stop him, but [[Audacity|her ship]] was effortlessly shunted aside by a [[torsion field]] projected by ''Mantle's Approach''.<ref>'''Halo: Silentium''', ''Strings 31-32''</ref>

The Ur-Didact returned to Requiem, where he would implant the human essences into more Promethean war machines, bolstering his mechanical army. In his maniacal scheme, the machines would eventually defeat the Flood, and Forerunner remnants would unite under his leadership with Requiem as the center of their power. Once the parasite would be rooted out, the Ur-Didact would carry out a campaign to eradicate humanity and all other "suspect" species which might potentially threaten the Forerunners' hold of the Mantle.<ref>'''Halo: Silentium''', ''page 289''</ref> The Librarian, devastated by the loss of her humans, followed the Ur-Didact to Requiem with the intent of imprisoning him. By this point, only one of the Didact's loyal Prometheans remained uncomposed; [[Endurance-of-Will]], the Didact's former lover who now served as his top lieutenant. Although Endurance was at first seemingly supportive of the Ur-Didact, her confidence was little more than a facade; she eventually agreed with the Librarian that the Didact was no longer fit to lead the Prometheans and should be exiled in a Cryptum.<ref name="string34">'''Halo: Silentium''', ''String 34''</ref>

[[File:H4-ForerunnerCryptum-Campaign.jpg|thumb|right|250px|The Ur-Didact's Cryptum in the core of Requiem.]]

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

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

[[File:H4 John-117 Didact first encounter.jpg|250px|thumb|The Ur-Didact overpowers John-117.]]

{{Quote|Time was your ally, human, but now it has abandoned you. The Forerunners... have returned.|The Ur-Didact to John-117, declaring the return of the Forerunners.}}

On [[2557#July|July 21, 2557]], the wreckage of the [[UNSC frigate]] ''[[UNSC Forward Unto Dawn|Forward Unto Dawn]]'', carrying [[SPARTAN-II program|Spartan]] [[John-117]] and his [[Smart AI|AI]] companion [[Cortana]], arrived in the orbit of Requiem, where they were intercepted by a fleet of [[Jul 'Mdama's Covenant faction|Covenant]] warships led by the [[Sangheili]] [[Jul 'Mdama]]. Though the Covenant had been denied access to Requiem's interior for three years, an entrance portal opened after scanning the Spartan and pulled all nearby ships inside. After landing, both the Spartan and the Covenant forces faced opposition from the occupying Promethean constructs, until eventually discovering the Ur-Didact's Cryptum on what John and Cortana originally thought to be a communications relay satellite. Even in his imprisoned and hibernating state, the Ur-Didact appeared to be in partial control of Requiem's systems, being able to manipulate {{UNSCShip|Infinity}}'s signal to lead John-117 to Requiem's core and release him,<ref name="forerunner"/> or hinder Cortana's attempts to access a local [[Cartographer]].<ref name="requiem">'''Halo 4''', campaign level ''[[Requiem (level)|Requiem]]''</ref>

Inadvertently awakened by John-117, the Ur-Didact easily disabled the Spartan with a [[constraint field]]. Ignoring the Librarian's plan for him, he declared that humanity should not be allowed to reclaim the Mantle. Emerging from his Cryptum, the Didact immediately reassumed control of his Prometheans; soon after, he also allowed Jul 'Mdama's Covenant forces to join forces with him and his Promethean armies against humanity. John and Cortana immediately recognized the danger posed by the Promethean and after the ''Infinity'' had crash-landed on Requiem, they attempted to convince [[Captain (Navy)|Captain]] [[Andrew Del Rio|Del Rio]] of the ''Infinity'' to take more drastic action against the Didact before he regained his full strength. However, Del Rio instead opted that they leave Requiem as soon as possible, leaving John and an increasingly rampant Cortana facing the Didact by themselves.<ref name="shutdown">'''Halo 4''', campaign level ''[[Shutdown]]''</ref>

Between July 22 and July 24, the Didact repeatedly contacted [[Catalog]] via a node located on [[Mars]] and asked to take control of the ecumene; Catalog rejected his requests.<ref>[https://forums.halowaypoint.com/yaf_postsm2963929_Catalog-Interaction.aspx#post2963929 '''Halo Waypoint''': ''Catalog Interaction'']</ref>

The Didact, intending to acquire the [[Composer]] once again and fulfill the plans he had laid 100,000 years prior, began make preparations for his departure. While doing so, he stationed his combat Cryptum amidst a series of towers jutting from Requiem's outer shell. John-117 and Cortana disabled nodes generating a shield around the Cryptum, but before they could engage the Didact directly, preparations for his ship, ''[[Mantle's Approach]]'', were completed. The Didact entered his massive command vessel aboard his combat Cryptum, exited Requiem's outer shell and set course for [[Installation 03]], escorted by numerous Covenant [[Type-56 Lich|Lich]] and [[Type-44 Phantom|Phantom]] craft. As the Master Chief persisted in his attempts to stop the Ur-Didact, the Promethean addressed the Spartan telepathically several times and gradually came to be greatly impressed by his opponent.<ref name="shutdown">'''Halo 4''', campaign level ''[[Shutdown]]''</ref>

[[File:Didact John comparison.png|thumb|250px|The Didact facing down John-117 on the ''Mantle's Approach''.]]

{{quote|Humanity's imprisonment is a kindness.|The Ur-Didact to John-117 during their final confrontation.}}

The Didact and his allied Covenant forces attacked the UNSC research facility ''[[Ivanoff Station]]'', where the Composer was being held. He successfully took control of the Composer and digitized everyone on ''Ivanoff'' aside from the Master Chief, who had been genetically immunized against the device's effects by the Librarian. The Didact then set course for Earth, intending to prevent humans from again threatening Forerunner dominance. However, the Master Chief boarded his ship armed with a [[HAVOK tactical nuclear weapon|HAVOK nuclear warhead]], intending to destroy the ship from the inside. The Promethean general confronted the Spartan on a [[light bridge]] next to the Composer and easily overpowered the human, but Cortana was able to hack into the system and use [[hard light]] strands to bind the Ur-Didact into the light bridge and immobilize him. The Chief then planted a pulse grenade in the Didact's combat skin, blowing him off the bridge and sending him falling into a slipspace rupture beneath the Composer. With little time left, the Chief detonated the fusion bomb and destroyed the ship, though Cortana, using the last of her power, was able to save him from the blast.<ref name="midnight">'''Halo 4''', campaign level ''[[Midnight]]''</ref><ref name="H4EVG"/><ref group="note">In the epilogue of ''Halo 4'', the Didact is heard giving a speech on the Forerunners' place in the galaxy and the Mantle; going by his tone, he appears to be addressing a group (perhaps a court) of his fellow Forerunners. This speech is heard overlaying scenes set after his attack, although it is unclear whether it is actually occurring in real-time. A 343 Industries employee (posting in the guise of [[Catalog#Trivia|Catalog]]) {{Plain|[https://forums.halowaypoint.com/yaf_postsm2969315_Catalog-Interaction.aspx#post2969315 stated]}} that the speech in question is actually part of legal proceedings that took place prior to the last contact with the Domain, and thus before the Halos were fired. Despite this, some of the Didact's statements appear to correspond to his actions in the modern era. He speaks of his "sin of ensuring Forerunner ascendancy" which corresponds to his attack on humanity. While he carries out similar actions 100,000 years prior in ''Halo: Silentium'', the events of the novel would not leave an opportunity for a scene of him standing before a tribunal of any kind (with the Forerunner government all but disbanded following the destruction of the greater Ark). He also mentions that "the Reclamation has already begun", which would correlate with humanity's position as of 2557 while seeming out of place in 100,000 BCE. Catalog {{Plain|[https://forums.halowaypoint.com/yaf_postsm2972786_The-Didact-s-Speech--Catalog-Confirms-100.aspx#post2972786 replied]}} to the resultant discussion with the comment ''"Statement was not in error. However, Catalog does note difficulty in interpreting Shadow-of-Sundered-Star's commentary. Currently under review due to multiple sources of authority."''</ref>

{{Main|Skirmish on Installation 03}}

[[File:Halo Escalation Ur-Didact.jpg|thumb|right|The Ur-Didact immediately after the attack on New Phoenix|150px]]

Unknown to the UNSC the Didact survived his fall into the slipspace rift. Hurtling through the portal along with a number of his Promethean constructs, he crash-landed on [[Installation 03]] near the Composer's original location, the [[Composer's Abyss]]. Shortly after his arrival he was discovered by Spartan [[Black Team]], whom he killed immediately upon regaining consciousness. The Didact was soon confronted by [[859 Static Carillon]], the [[monitor]] of the [[Composer's Forge]] and the keeper of the Composers, who had arrived on the Halo to investigate the recent activation of a service [[slipspace portal|portal]] leading to its installation. The Didact asked the monitor to take him to the Composer's Forge, where he established a base in a deserted Forerunner city. He requested Static Carillon to deliver him a slightly damaged Halo installation, which he planned to repair and use as his final instrument of vengeance against humanity in spite of his earlier opposition to the Halos. In return the Didact told the monitor he would cease his creation of Promethean Knights from composed humans and that he would not bring them to the Composer's Forge, as Static Carillon considered the constructs abominations.<ref name="esc9">'''Halo: Escalation''', ''[[Halo: Escalation Issue 9|Issue #9]]''</ref>

The following day, on July 26, Static Carillon informed the Didact that a [[Blue Team|Spartan team]] led by John-117 had arrived at the Composer's Abyss and had crossed the portal. However, the Didact considered the Spartans' actions inconsequential and decided that he would welcome them to "his world".<ref>'''Halo: Escalation''', ''[[Halo: Escalation Issue 8|Issue #8]]''</ref> The Didact soon confronted the Spartans, who opened fire; The Didact then summoned a large number of newly created Promethean constructs to his location to engage the Spartans. While Static Carillon fulfilled its end of the bargain, transitioning Installation 03 over the Composer's Forge, it also turned on the Didact as he had violated their agreement by bringing Prometheans to its installation. The Didact departed for the portal, planning to repair the Halo and use it against Earth; he also took one of the Composers from the Forge and transported it to the Halo. The Spartans followed in close pursuit, assisted by the betrayed monitor.<ref name="esc9"/>

Back on the surface of Installation 03, the Didact confronted Blue Team once more, intending to finish them off once and for all. However, John-117 managed to stab him in the eye with a [[combat knife]] in a surprise attack. Bemoaning his refusal to kill the Spartan when he had the chance, the Didact lifted the Master Chief in the air and crushed the Spartan's helmet.<ref name="esc9"/> The Promethean quickly halted the other Spartans' efforts at saving their comrade and knocked them all to the ground. Before he could finish them off Static Carillon attacked him from behind and teleported him to the Halo's [[Control Room (Installation 03)|Control Room]].<ref name="HE10">'''Halo: Escalation''', ''[[Halo: Escalation Issue 10|Issue #10]]''</ref>

John-117 soon arrived in the Control Room with the ring's [[Activation Index]] and confronted the Didact; the Spartan explained that because the Didact could not be killed by conventional means a different approach must be taken. The Didact became puzzled when John inserted the Index into [[the Core]]; he asked why the Spartan would activate the ring just to destroy him. John informed the Didact that he did not activate the ring's weapon but instead disabled its safety protocols; this allowed the monitor to eject a large section of the ring containing the Control Room toward the Composer's Forge. The monitor rescued the Spartans while the Didact was subjected to the Composers' effects, disintegrating him but storing his essence in digital form;<ref name="waypoint didact"/> John later told [[Terrence Hood|Fleet Admiral Terrence Hood]] that he believed the Forerunner was merely "contained", not dead.<ref name="HE10"/><ref group="note" name="composed">In ''Halo 4''<nowiki>'</nowiki>s Terminal Five, the Didact claims the Composer would not work on his new form, and in the level [[Midnight]] is seen levitating himself within the Composer's active beam. It is possible that the Didact was merely resistant to the effects of the Composer, rather than completely immune, as the energy released by the overlapping pulses of five Composers would be orders of magnitude greater than the energy released by a single pulse.</ref>

[[File:Didact_unbound.png|thumb|The unbound variation of the Didact's symbol, used most commonly to represent the Ur-Didact.<ref group="note" name="unbound">In [http://www.neogaf.com/forum/showpost.php?p=38644939&postcount=108 a forum post] on NeoGaf, [[Frank O'Connor]] told a user with a Didact symbol as their avatar to rotate it into its "unbound state", implying that the Didact icon seen in ''Halo 4'' trailers is said "unbound" variation of the symbol.</ref>]]

{{Quote|Humans drowned out entire civilizations with the Flood. They brought this horrific parasite to our people. Had we acted quicker, had we taken what was rightfully ours, we could have cut off the infection at its source. Know this: the universe will now be turned star by star, world by world, organism by living thing, into even more of a tortured mockery than it already is. Look what it's done to me! Everything it touches is afflicted with madness. It has touched me. I am myself mad!|The Ur-Didact to the Librarian when the two reunite on Nomdagro.}}

The Didact was a highly experienced and powerful warrior, a result of his millennia-long career as a Promethean. Before his corruption by the Gravemind, the Didact was a noble and sensible figure. He adhered strictly to Warrior-Servant precepts and traditions, and fiercely opposed anything that clashed with his ideals. This was the reason for his opposition to the Halo Array, as he viewed the weapons as an affront to everything the Mantle stood for. He was a follower of the Warrior-Servants' interpretation of the Mantle, believing that defying the Forerunners was tantamount to defying the Mantle itself. While he believed that the Mantle accepted everyone, even [[Prehistoric human civilization|contemporary humanity]] who conquered other species, this did not change his condemnation of such actions or the strong resentment he felt toward humanity. Although he generally demonstrated a stoic and calm disposition, the Didact could also be quick to anger if provoked.<ref name="speech">'''Halo: Primordium''', ''pages 234-235''</ref>

After encountering the Gravemind, the Didact underwent a drastic shift in his personality. He became much less rational, his psyche [[Logic plague|distorting]] to the point of insanity. As part of its ploy to turn the Didact against his former allies, the Gravemind took advantage of his existing motivations, convictions and prejudices, most notably his opposition to the Halos and antipathy toward humanity, making these characteristics significantly more pronounced. Developing a belief in absolute, unconditional Forerunner supremacy, he concluded that the early Forerunners' [[Forerunner-Precursor war|violent seizing]] of the Mantle from the Precursors had been justified and that the Forerunners should mercilessly eliminate any species who might challenge their dominance in the future. He began to desperately pursue unrealistic and ineffectual strategies, such as creating his legion of Promethean Knights, an obsession which eventually drove him to composing Omega Halo's human population; the irrational cruelty of this act finally convinced the Librarian to imprison him. While the Didact believed that his schemes would bring about a new age of primacy for the Forerunners, in actuality he was only working to the Flood's advantage by generating additional suffering and chaos.<ref>'''Halo: Silentium''', ''page 288''</ref>

When first meeting with Bornstellar, the Didact viewed the Manipular as foolish and naive, cursing him for waking him from his hibernation, but over the course of their travels he would begin to share some of the wisdom gained as a result of his experience, effectively becoming a mentor figure to the young Forerunner. This continued even after the two had been separated, with the Didact's imprinted consciousness offering his view on various matters and making occasional wry comments to Bornstellar, until fully subsuming his consciousness in order to continue the original Didact's work as the IsoDidact. By the time the two reunited years later, their relationship quickly became much less amicable, in particular due to the IsoDidact's acceptance of the Halo Array as a final option.

{{Quote|Humans are naturally purists. They resent having to live with other species. In fact, they're among the most contentious, bigoted, self-centered... I never understood how my wife tolerated them.|The Didact}}

Prior to his transformation, while dismissive of the potential for humans to take on the Mantle, he also respected humans as warriors and regarded them as honorable, unlike their San'Shyuum allies who had surrendered earlier in the war.<ref>'''Halo: Cryptum''', ''page 134''</ref> In fact, he regarded them as the second greatest military power in the galaxy at the time. His respect for the humans was demonstrated when he met with his main opponent, [[Forthencho|Forthencho, the Lord of Admirals]], in person after the humans' defeat, speaking to him as a fellow warrior and reassuring him about the future despite humanity's grim predicament.<ref name="speech"/> Furthermore, prior to being imprisoned after his fall from grace in the Ecumene Council, he stated that had the humans repented for their crimes, they would've been a civilization worthy of joining their own.<ref>'''Halo: Silentium''', ''page 54''</ref> He also regarded [[John-117]] with some grudging respect for his determination and persistence in fighting him against impossible odds.<ref name="h4"/>

The Didact's antipathy toward humans was at least partially curtailed by the Librarian, who was, in contrast, regarded as humanity's greatest protector.<ref name="cryp77">'''Halo: Cryptum''', ''page 77''</ref> Despite his love for her, the Didact was incapable of understanding his wife's protectiveness toward humanity, and resented her efforts to keep humanity safe from his justice and retribution.

The Ur-Didact appeared to regard Chakas and Riser, the two humans who accompanied Bornstellar, with relative indifference, viewing them as mere annoyances, although he tolerated them because they were part of his wife's plan.

[[File:Escalation - DidactSuperStomp.png‎|thumb|300px|left|The Didact's powerful stomp stunning Blue Team.]]

As an immensely powerful Forerunner with incredibly advanced technologies at his disposal, the Didact has a number of extraordinary abilities. He has the capability to generate and control powerful [[constraint field]]s at will,<ref>'''Halo: Cryptum''', ''pages 303-305''</ref> in effect granting him the power of [[Wikipedia:telekinesis|telekinesis]] to restrain or physically harm his opponents. This was demonstrated when he used this ability on John-117, immobilizing him and causing him to float helplessly in the air, before throwing him against a wall.<ref name="forerunner">'''Halo 4''', campaign level ''[[Forerunner (level)|Forerunner]]''</ref> Later, during the final confrontation aboard ''Mantle's Approach'', he used this ability to physically torture the Spartan, who was only saved by Cortana's intervention. He can also use the fields to levitate himself to some extent.<ref name="midnight"/> The Didact was also capable of generating a shockwave by stomping on the ground. While at the [[Composer's Forge]], the Didact used this ability to cause [[SPARTAN-II program|SPARTAN-II]] [[Blue Team]] to stumble to the ground.<ref name="esc9"/> Later during his battle against the Spartans, he generated a powerful linear energy blast to disable [[Kelly-087]].<ref name="HE10"/>

The Didact possesses extraordinary neurological and mental abilities bestowed by his senior Promethean [[form]]. One of these is the augmented state of perception known as "battle mode", splintering his perception of reality into several variable frames of reference with a slowed-down experience of time, granting him impressive multitasking abilities.<ref>'''Halo: Cryptum''', ''page 316''</ref> In hand-to-hand combat, he was capable of matching SPARTAN-II reaction times and was able easily killing [[Black Team|a fireteam]] of them without weapons.<ref name="HE10"/> The Didact adhered to the long-standing Warrior tradition of sharing all knowledge with his command staff of dozens as well as their [[ancilla]]s; indeed, he remarked that he was out of his element when working alone, preferring to have an expert crew with him at all times when leading operations.<ref>'''Halo: Cryptum''', ''page 139''</ref> During large-scale engagements, the Didact would also tap into the sensory input of thousands of his fellow Prometheans simultaneously and experience the battle from their respective viewpoints in addition to his own.<ref>'''Halo: Cryptum''', ''page 162''</ref> His memory is also incredibly accurate; while stranded on the Builder hulk in the [[Burn]], he was capable of reciting a verbal control code comprising 400 random nonsense words and non-integral numbers after thousands of years and without the aid of an ancilla.<ref>'''Halo: Silentium''', ''pages 82-83''</ref>

Like Warrior-Servant armor in general, the Didact's [[Forerunner personal armor|personal armor]] was designed to attune itself to enemy weaponry; this allowed his armor to become virtually invulnerable to numerous successive hits from Forerunner infantry weapons.<ref name="HE10"/>

The Didact can also manipulate the architecture of areas under his control, such as within Requiem or his ship. For example, he disintegrated a wall John-117 was taking cover behind,<ref name="forerunner"/> and later manipulated the platforms inside a tower on Requiem to hinder the Master Chief's progress.<ref name="shutdown">'''Halo 4''', campaign level ''[[Shutdown]]''</ref> He has direct control over his mechanical Promethean armies, and was capable of returning them to his command with a mere gesture.<ref name="forerunner"/>

A full-rate Promethean, the Didact is a physically imposing figure; standing 350 centimeters tall,<ref name="H4EVG"/> he easily towers over a fully-armored SPARTAN-II. In comparison to other Forerunners, he stood nearly twice a [[Manipular]]'s height and weighed four or five times as much.<ref>'''Halo: Cryptum''', ''page 65''</ref> As was common with Forerunners of his rate, the Didact has six-fingered hands with two opposable thumbs and heavily muscled limbs. Bornstellar Makes Eternal Lasting believed that he could easily have crushed a human with his bare hands;<ref name="cryp77"/> wearing his armor, he was capable of crushing a [[Z-180 Scattershot]] and severely damaging [[John-117]]'s helmet, as well as throwing the [[MJOLNIR]]-armored Master Chief several meters in the air with force significant enough to knock another Spartan to the ground.<ref name="HE10"/>

In his original form, his skin was grayish pink in color<ref>'''Halo: Cryptum''', ''page 76''</ref> and he had patches of bluish white fur on the top of his head and shoulders, as was common with Warrior-Servants.<ref name="p179"/> He had strong, serious facial features and deep-set, gray eyes.<ref name="p79">'''Halo: Cryptum''', ''pages 79, 150''</ref>

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

The Didact's original armor complied with Warrior-Servant tradition in both design and coloration; bearing the mottled gray and blue colors of a Warrior-Servant,<ref name="pri339">'''Halo: Primordium''', ''page 339''</ref> the suit was, despite its wearer's lofty status, considered austere in contrast to more lavishly decorated armor worn by the Builders.<ref>'''Halo: Cryptum''', ''page 81-82''</ref> Circa 100,000 BCE, the Didact began wearing a new [[combat skin]] upon his return to Nomdagro.<ref name="ref name="string12"/> The Didact continued to wear this armor until the suit's apparent destruction in 2557.<ref name="HE10"/> In stark contrast to his prior armor, the Didact's newer suit is prominently ornamented in contrast to more subdued armor usually worn by his rate. It is composed a number of silver armor sections with complex patterns of orange light. The bodysuit beneath the armor sections is colored black and dark red, resulting in an appearance similar to exposed musculature. The helmet of this armor suit appears to be modeled after a skull, with orange "eyes" rather than a visor, as well as a small breathing port on the nose.<ref name="h4"/>

[[File:CEA_Terminal_-_Didact.jpg|thumb|230px|The Didact's symbol as seen in the final terminal of ''Halo: Combat Evolved Anniversary''.]]

*The Didact is the main antagonist of ''Halo 4'' and the third story arc of ''[[Halo: Escalation]]'', "The Next 72 Hours". He has been said to serve as a pivotal character in post-''Halo 4'' media, though the significance of this statement is unclear.<ref name="gttv">[http://www.gametrailers.com/full-episodes/qevv7h/gt-tv-halo-4 '''GameTrailers''': ''GTTV: Halo 4'']</ref> The Didact is voiced by [[Wikipedia:Keith Szarabajka|Keith Szarabajka]],<ref>'''''Halo 4'' credits'''</ref> known for his role as the voice of [[W:c:Masseffect:Harbinger|Harbinger]] in ''[[Wikipedia:Mass Effect 2|Mass Effect 2]]''. Szarabajka also voiced Dr. [[Cameron Alexander]], a scientist in ''[[Spartan Ops]]'' [[Didact's Hand/The Didact's Gift|Episode 4 Chapter 5]].

*The ''Composing A Universe'' featurette included in the limited edition of the ''Halo 4 Soundtrack'' includes a scene paying tribute to the memory of deceased voice actor {{Plain|[http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0686257/ David Anthony Pizzuto]}}, who can be seen performing a sample of the Didact's dialogue. The sample is an alternate version of the Didact's awakening seen in the final game; in the sample, the Didact first recognizes and assesses a Sangheili devotee he assumes to be responsible for his awakening, only to discover it to be the work of a human instead. Whether this was only an audition reel or if Pizzuto was actually cast for the role of the Didact before his death is unknown.<ref>'''Halo 4 Limited Edition Soundtrack DVD''': ''Composing A Universe''</ref>

*Before the official confirmation that the Didact was to be the antagonist of ''Halo 4'', a number of sources made several suggestions that this may be the case. Near the end of ''Origins, Part 1'', the Didact's empty armor is seen being placed into storage by another Forerunner after the activation of the Array, with his body nowhere to be seen; however, as this is based on the semi-rampant Cortana's interpretation of the available data, it is possible that such an event never really occurred. In the final [[Terminal/Halo: Combat Evolved Anniversary|terminal]] of ''Halo: Combat Evolved Anniversary'', [[343 Guilty Spark]] wishes that the Didact and his Prometheans would return to put humanity in their place, and the Didact's symbol flashes momentarily. However, the symbol is the original version seen in the ''Halo 3'' terminals as opposed to the more simple "unbound" variation featured in ''Halo 4''. Additionally, there are hints throughout ''Halo: Primordium'' that humans are once again faced by the Didact; most prominently in the very end of the novel.<ref>'''Halo: Primordium''', ''page 378'' (''"You and I are brothers in many ways... not least in that we faced the Didact before, and face him now, and perhaps ever after."'')</ref> Finally, the Didact's unbound symbol appears in the ''[[Halo 4 Cinematic Trailer]]'', in which the icon is shown overtaking the {{UNSCShip|Infinity}}'s monitors while a wave of orange light scans throughout the ship. The icon is later seen turning over in the end of the trailer, superimposed by the text ''"An ancient evil awakens,"'' while a then-unidentified voice, later revealed as belonging to the Didact, is heard saying ''"I have long dreamt of this day, Reclaimer."''

*A centuries-long series of conversations between the Didact and the Librarian can be found in Forerunner [[Terminal/Halo 3|terminal]]s in ''Halo 3''. When the terminals are accessed, the player is eventually moved to a conversation that was recorded before the Halo rings were fired. The Didact's last words to the Librarian moments prior to the Array's activation are featured in the ''[[Iris]]'' campaign Server [[Episode 1]]. However, as later revealed in ''The Forerunner Saga'' and ''Halo 4'', the Didact in the terminals is actually the IsoDidact as opposed to the Ur-Didact, as the latter had already been imprisoned by the time the rings were fired.

*In his entire military career he was captured three times.<ref>'''Halo: Silentium''', ''String 12''</ref>

*The Ur-Didact's armor in ''Halo 4'' bears a striking resemblance to that of the [[Marvel Comics]] villain [[w:c:marvel:Ultron (Earth-616)|Ultron]] as [[w:c:marvel:File:Annihilation Conquest Vol 1 5 Textless.PNG|depicted on the cover]] of ''Annihilation: Conquest #5''.<ref>[http://marvel.com/comics/issue/20885/annihilation_conquest_2007_5 '''Annihilation: Conquest (2007)''' ''Issue 5'']</ref>

File:Commissioning Didact Logo.png|The Ur-Didact's unbound symbol appearing as he hijacks the UNSC ''Infinity'' in ''[[The Commissioning]]'' trailer.

File:H4L - J117 facing Didact.jpg|John-117 facing the Ur-Didact in the ''[[Scanned]]'' trailer.

File:Didact-concept-art.jpg|Early ''Halo 4'' concept art of a more mechanical Didact.

File:Didactarmor.png|The Didact in his original armor in the Council chamber.

File:Halo4-Terminal-DidactArmor.jpg|Closeup of the Didact in armor.

File:H4 Didact awakened.jpg|The Ur-Didact awakening after leaving his Cryptum on Requiem.

File:H4 Didact's new armor.jpg|Detail of the Ur-Didact's most recent armor.

File:H4-Didact-ArmorFront-Detail.jpg|Detail of the Ur-Didact in his newest armor, front view.

File:H4-Didact-ArmorBack-Detail.jpg|Detail of the back of the Ur-Didact's armor, back view.

File:Didact2.png|The Ur-Didact unmasked.

File:Halo4-Didact-Armor-Cutscene.jpg|The Ur-Didact's face mask.

File:H4-Didact-Masked-Finale.jpg|The Ur-Didact in the final fight aboard the ''Mantle's Approach''.

*''[[Halo: Evolutions - Essential Tales of the Halo Universe]]''

**''[[Terminal/Halo: Combat Evolved Anniversary|Terminals]]'' {{Mo}}

**''[[Terminal/Halo 4|Terminals]]''

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

<references group="note"/>

{{Reflist|3}}

[[Category:Forerunner Characters]]