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Michael Stanforth: Difference between revisions
He is explicitly referred to as Harold in two canonical sources, one of which is straight from 343. "Hieronymus" comes from a less-than-credible source. See the comprehensive note section I've added.
(Assassinating people and kidnapping kids is not the work of an R&D division.) |
(He is explicitly referred to as Harold in two canonical sources, one of which is straight from 343. "Hieronymus" comes from a less-than-credible source. See the comprehensive note section I've added.) |
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{{Era|UNSC|HCW}} | {{Era|UNSC|HCW}} | ||
{{References}} | |||
{{Character Infobox|variant=Human | {{Character Infobox|variant=Human | ||
|name= | |name=Harold Michael Stanforth | ||
|image=[[File:FoR_Stanforth.png|300px]] | |image=[[File:FoR_Stanforth.png|300px]] | ||
|homeworld=[[Earth]]<ref name="alph"/> | |homeworld=[[Earth]]<ref name="alph"/> | ||
|birth= | |birth=Likely mid-2400s<ref name="confusion" group="note"/> | ||
|death=[[2552|August 30, 2552]]<ref name="alph"/> | |death=[[2552|August 30, 2552]]<ref name="alph"/> | ||
|rank=[[Vice Admiral]]<ref name="alph"/> | |rank=[[Vice Admiral]]<ref name="alph"/> | ||
| Line 11: | Line 12: | ||
|hair=Grey | |hair=Grey | ||
|eyes=Blue | |eyes=Blue | ||
|affiliation= | |affiliation=[[UNSC Navy]] | ||
*[[Office of Naval Intelligence#Section Three|Office of Naval Intelligence, Section Three]] | |||
|sn=00834-19223-HS | |sn=00834-19223-HS | ||
|types= | |types= | ||
|notable= | |notable= | ||
}} | }} | ||
'''Vice Admiral | '''Vice Admiral Harold Michael Stanforth'''<ref name="confusion" group="note"/> was a [[Vice Admiral|flag officer]] of the [[UNSC Navy]]. He served as the head of the [[Office of Naval Intelligence#Section Three|Office of Naval Intelligence's Section Three]], its clandestine operations group, in the early years of the [[Human-Covenant War]].<ref name="alph"/> | ||
==Biography== | ==Biography== | ||
===Early career=== | ===Early career=== | ||
By [[2503]], | By [[2503]], Stanforth had risen to the rank of [[Admiral]]. On June 13 of that year, Stanforth sent a message from his ship, the {{UNSCShip|Leviathan}}, to then-[[Captain (Navy)|Captain]] [[Preston J. Cole]].<ref name="confusion" group="note">See [[Michael Stanforth#Age and rank discrepancies|this section]].</ref> The [[Office of Naval Intelligence]] had discovered that Cole's wife [[Lyrenne Castilla]] was in fact an [[Insurrectionist]] and the commander of the ''[[Bellicose]]''. Stanforth broke regulations by warning Cole three hours before [[Reach]] [[Central Command]] transmitted the orders for Castilla's arrest and Cole's recall. Stanforth told Cole: {{Article Quote|You've got three hours. Find Lyrenne before ONI gets her. Bring her in yourself. That'll go a long way toward clearing your name and ending this.}} | ||
In [[2507]], Stanforth held the rank of [[Captain (Navy)|Captain]], possibly due to demotion or because his position as an admiral was temporary. During this same year he noticed the potential of [[Catherine Halsey|Dr. Catherine Halsey]], as she corrected [[Elias Carver]]'s work while she was still a young upstart. This was the start of Stanforth's continuous aiding of Dr. Halsey with her project as her military counterpart and protecting her and the project from those that wanted to see it disbanded. During the next three years, the captain would rise in rank to become a vice admiral by December 2510.<ref name="journal">[[Dr. Halsey's personal journal]]</ref> | In [[2507]], Stanforth held the rank of [[Captain (Navy)|Captain]], possibly due to demotion or because his position as an admiral was temporary.<ref name="confusion" group="note"/> During this same year he noticed the potential of [[Catherine Halsey|Dr. Catherine Halsey]], as she corrected [[Elias Carver]]'s work while she was still a young upstart. This was the start of Stanforth's continuous aiding of Dr. Halsey with her project as her military counterpart and protecting her and the project from those that wanted to see it disbanded. During the next three years, the captain would rise in rank to become a vice admiral by December 2510.<ref name="journal">[[Dr. Halsey's personal journal]]</ref> | ||
[[File:Stanforth Mem.jpg|250px|left|thumb|Vice Admiral Stanforth's ONI memorial plaque]] | [[File:Stanforth Mem.jpg|250px|left|thumb|Vice Admiral Stanforth's ONI memorial plaque]] | ||
===ONI projects=== | ===ONI projects=== | ||
Stanforth was head of Section Three of | Stanforth was head of Section Three of the Office of Naval Intelligence from [[2512]] to [[2530]]. He was involved with many classified projects including [[Project GUNGNIR|GUNGNIR]], [[SPARTAN Program|SPARTAN]] and [[MJOLNIR Powered Assault Armor|MJOLNIR]].<ref name="alph"/> Although protecting Halsey and her [[SPARTAN-II Program]], he also prevented her from accessing classified information such as information on the [[SPARTAN-III Program]].<ref name="journal"/> | ||
In [[2517]], he refused to allow Dr. Halsey to use the [[diplomatic shuttle]] ''[[Han]]'' on her study for the [[SPARTAN-II Program|SPARTAN-II]] candidates unless she had a military escort. Halsey chose then-[[Lieutenant, Junior Grade|Junior-Grade Lieutenant]] [[Jacob Keyes]] for the assignment. | In [[2517]], he refused to allow Dr. Halsey to use the [[diplomatic shuttle]] ''[[Han]]'' on her study for the [[SPARTAN-II Program|SPARTAN-II]] candidates unless she had a military escort. Halsey chose then-[[Lieutenant, Junior Grade|Junior-Grade Lieutenant]] [[Jacob Keyes]] for the assignment. | ||
In [[2525]], Stanforth gave the SPARTAN-IIs their first briefing on the [[ | In [[2525]], Stanforth gave the SPARTAN-IIs their first briefing on the [[Covenant]]. Stanforth's briefing included diagrams of [[Unggoy]] and [[Kig-Yar]], as well as information on the [[First Battle of Harvest|fall of Harvest]]. | ||
In May [[2531]], then- | In May [[2531]], then-Vice Admiral Cole sent a message from the {{UNSCShip|Everest}} to Stanforth, who had become the UNSC Region One Commander at Reach [[Central Command|CENTCOM]].<ref>'''Halo: Evolutions - Essential Tales of the Halo Universe''', "The Impossible Life and the Possible Death of Preston J. Cole", ''page 467''</ref> Cole outlined a series of recommendations intended to safeguard the location of [[Earth]] and other human colonies. These recommendations would form the foundation of the [[Cole Protocol]]. A nearly identical message, known as [[Cole Protocol#Hypodermic FXT-J|Hypodermic FXT-J]], was sent to Admiral [[Margaret Parangosky]], Commander in Chief of the Office of Naval Intelligence. | ||
By [[2535]], Stanforth had entered a committee discussing ONI budget on several projects, including the MJOLNIR project, forcing the project to take on a generational "Mark" system to categorize, prioritize and serialize the project in budgets.<ref name="journal"/> | By [[2535]], Stanforth had entered a committee discussing ONI budget on several projects, including the MJOLNIR project, forcing the project to take on a generational "Mark" system to categorize, prioritize and serialize the project in budgets.<ref name="journal"/> | ||
By [[2552]], Stanforth commanded [[FLEETCOM Sector Three]], which included the [[Sigma Octanus system|Sigma Octanus System]]. He was the first person who then-[[Commander (UNSC)|Commander]] Jacob Keyes informed via [[COM|SATCOM]] of the impending Covenant [[Battle of Sigma Octanus IV|invasion]] of [[Sigma Octanus IV]]. He led UNSC forces during the Battle of Sigma Octanus IV from the {{Class|Marathon|cruiser}} UNSC ''Leviathan''. Following the battle, Stanforth promoted Commander Keyes to the rank of Captain. To his later regret, Stanforth had given Dr. Halsey the after-action report on the battle. Later he was afraid that she might find out about the [[Forerunner]] [[Sigma Octanus IV artifact|crystal]] found there. | By [[2552]], Vice Admiral Stanforth commanded [[FLEETCOM Sector Three]], which included the [[Sigma Octanus system|Sigma Octanus System]]. He was the first person who then-[[Commander (UNSC)|Commander]] Jacob Keyes informed via [[COM|SATCOM]] of the impending Covenant [[Battle of Sigma Octanus IV|invasion]] of [[Sigma Octanus IV]]. He led UNSC forces during the Battle of Sigma Octanus IV from the {{Class|Marathon|cruiser}} UNSC ''Leviathan''. Following the battle, Stanforth promoted Commander Keyes to the rank of Captain. To his later regret, Stanforth had given Dr. Halsey the after-action report on the battle. Later he was afraid that she might find out about the [[Forerunner]] [[Sigma Octanus IV artifact|crystal]] found there. | ||
After the UNSC victory at Sigma Octanus, he died during the [[Fall of Reach]] on [[2552#August|August 30, 2552]].<ref name="alph"/> | After the UNSC victory at Sigma Octanus, he died during the [[Fall of Reach]] on [[2552#August|August 30, 2552]].<ref name="alph"/> | ||
==Trivia== | ==Production notes== | ||
* | ===Trivia=== | ||
*Stanforth suffered from "[[space walk]]" due to his long terms in microgravity. | |||
*He enjoyed [[list of food and drinks|whiskey]] and [[Sweet William cigar]]s. | *He enjoyed [[list of food and drinks|whiskey]] and [[Sweet William cigar]]s. | ||
===Discrepancies=== | |||
====Name==== | |||
The [[ONI memorial|memorial]] in ''Halo 3: ODST'' gives Stanforth's first name as "Hieronymus", while ''The Possible Life and the Possible Death of Preston J. Cole'' identifies him as "Harold". This was likely due to a lack of communication between [[Bungie]] and the short story's author, [[Eric Nylund]]. Simply put, both parties gave differing explanations for the ''H'' in his service number: he is referred to by his middle name, Michael, in ''Halo: The Fall of Reach'', while his service number is 00834-19223-HS. As the [[Data Drop]] written by [[343 Industries]] reiterates his first name as Harold, this article follows suit. Given the ONI memorial's Easter egg-heavy nature, it should not be considered a wholly reliable source, as elaborated below. | |||
====Age==== | |||
The memorial lists Stanforth's date of birth as July 3, 2486.<ref name="alph">'''Halo 3: ODST''', multiplayer level ''[[Alpha Site]]'': [[ONI Memorial]]</ref> However, if the timeline of his life from ''Halo: Evolutions'' were taken at face value, this would mean he reached the rank of admiral at seventeen years old. Thus, his birth date on the memorial should be, (like the name Hieronymus and the birth date of Preston Cole), considered erroneous. According to the short story, Admiral Stanforth commanded a vessel known as the ''Leviathan'' in June 2503. However, as the [[Marathon-class heavy cruiser|''Marathon'' class]] was designed as a replacement for the [[Halcyon-class light cruiser|''Halcyon'' class]], (itself designed in [[2510]]), this particular vessel was likely the namesake of Stanforth's later flagship: see [[UNSC Leviathan#Note|here]] for more information. | |||
As mentioned above, the 2486 figure cannot be considered factually accurate, as it would make Stanforth far too young. However, if he were an admiral in 2510, he would most likely have been middle-aged at the time. If this were the case, Vice Admiral Stanforth would have been nearly a century old near the end of the Human-Covenant War. This is not out of the question, however, as 26th-century medical advances very well may extend human longevity decades beyond what modern science allows. | |||
====Rank==== | |||
Perhaps the strangest incongruity in Stanforth's background is his rank. While he was presumably demoted between 2503 and 2507, it is extremely unlikely that his rank would be decreased four grades (from O-10 to O-6) for any reason. No source suggests a disciplinary infraction of any kind, and even if his rank of admiral were temporary (acting admiral), he probably would not have received such a prominent ''ad hoc'' position. Dr. Halsey's personal journal makes no mention of Stanforth's past as a flag officer: he is referred to as "the Captain" in entries dated between 2507 and December 2510, after which he is called "the Vice Admiral". | |||
==Note== | |||
<references group="note"/> | |||
==List of appearances== | ==List of appearances== | ||
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==Sources== | ==Sources== | ||
<references/> | <references/> | ||
[[Category:UNSC Naval Personnel|Stanforth, | [[Category:UNSC Naval Personnel|Stanforth, Harold Michael]] | ||