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A "'''Reclaimer'''" is an individual who, whether by chance or by [[Wiktionary:precedent|precedent]], has been placed in charge of retrieving an item known as the [[Index]], returning it to, and subsequently placing it into a control panel within a control center on a [[The Halos|Halo]] structure to activate a massive superweapon. The word is first used as a title bestowed upon a [[Staff Sergeant Marvin Mobuto]] in [[Halo: The Flood]] and [[Master Chief]] in [[Halo: Combat Evolved]] by an artificial intelligence construct, designated [[343 Guilty Spark]] by its creators, the [[Forerunner]]s.
{{disambig header|the Forerunner term|articles of the same name|Reclaimer (disambiguation)}}
[[Image:665.jpg|250px|right]]
[[File:Reclaimer - H4.png|thumb|The [[Forerunner symbols|Forerunner glyph]] for "Reclaimer".]]
== History ==
{{quote|The [[Mendicant Bias|Oracle]] calls them "Reclaimers". But what do they reclaim? These machines? These cities? These worlds? Or, as I fear, are they to reclaim the [[Mantle]] we so terribly squandered?|[[Minister of Discovery]]{{Ref/Book|Id=Covie Mantle|Enc09|Page=299}}}}


The only known role of a Reclaimer is to recover the "Index" and return it to the Halo control center. Doing this would activate Halo's ability to destroy all sentient life within twenty-five thousand light years, and would also activate other Halos, causing the entire galaxy to be purged of sentient life. This would be done to prevent the spread of [[The Flood]], which can only be accomplished by destroying all sentient life with a biomass sufficient enough to sustain them. This would then destroy the Flood via starvation.
"'''Reclaimer'''" is a [[Forerunner]] term used to refer to a species (or a member of said species) chosen to be the inheritors of the [[Mantle]],{{Ref/Novel|LL|Page=315}} the stewardship over all life originally held by the [[Precursor]]s. Following the activation of the [[Halo Array]] and the ensuing [[Reintroduction]], this refers to [[human]]s, whom the Forerunners (more pointedly those allied with the [[Librarian]]) regarded as their rightful successors. In particular the term is applied to humans who carry the requisite [[Lifeworker]]-created ''[[geas]]'' that allow them to activate Forerunner technology;{{Ref/Reuse|definition}} indeed, a great deal of the Forerunners' abandoned technology may be activated only when used by a Reclaimer. For most of their history, however, the Forerunners considered themselves the rightful inheritors of the Mantle from the Precursors, who had originally intended to pass the Mantle down to humanity.


[[343 Guilty Spark]] assumed, for unknown reasons, that the [[human]] soldier [[Master Chief]] was a Reclaimer. However, [[Commander Keyes]] and [[Sergeant Johnson]] were also called Reclaimers by [[343 Guilty Spark]]. [[Penitent Tangent]] also refers to Master Chief as a Reclaimer, implying that all Monitors recognize him as such. In addition, in [[Halo: The Flood]] the Master Chief encounters the corpse of [[Sergeant Marvin Mobuto]] in the [[Library]], whom Spark also refers to as a Reclaimer.
==Overview==
Generally speaking, the term "Reclaimer" refers to humans (as a species or as individuals) retaking stewardship of the Mantle. However, technically the term denotes humans who are capable of activating Forerunner technology.{{Ref/Reuse|Hammer}} This is due to the presence of ''[[geas]]'' implanted by the Librarian,{{Ref/Reuse|definition}} which give at least some humans an instinctive familiarity (often a feeling of déjà vu) when encountering Forerunner technology. For example, [[SPARTAN-II program|Spartan]] [[John-117]] simply "knew" how to activate a [[Holography|holographic]] control panel on [[Halo Array|Halo]] [[Installation 04]], despite it being the first piece of Forerunner technology he had ever encountered.{{Ref/Novel|TF|Page=84}} This innate knowledge extends to Covenant technology as well, as Covenant technology is crudely reverse-engineered from Forerunner designs.{{Ref/Novel|FS|Page=142}} In the same vein, Forerunner technology responds to human presence much as it would have done in the presence of its creators, though it will not do so for other species. Though it is unclear how commonly the ''geas'' may be found among humans, it is known that at least some are incapable of properly interfacing with Forerunner technology.{{Ref/SpOps|Id=Hammer|[[Key]]|[[Key/The Hammer|The Hammer]]|Quote=Elites were here, trying to find Reclaimers: humans who can operate Forerunner technology.}} An imprint of [[Birth-to-Light]] once told [[Rion Forge]] of the Librarian and the mark that she had left on the human race that "all of humanity carries remnants of her work from times past - passed along from generation to generation, becoming dormant but never gone. It is what propels our technology to recognize your status and allow interaction.{{Ref/Novel|PoL|39}}


== Other Interpretations and Speculation ==
Along with implanting the ''geas'' necessary to utilize Forerunner relics, the Librarian planted "seeds" that led to some of humanity's most important technological achievements. Specifically, this genesong led to the creation of the [[SPARTAN programs]] and their [[MJOLNIR Powered Assault Armor]], as well as Smart AI.{{Ref/Level|Id=H4 Reclaimer|H4|[[Reclaimer (level)|Reclaimer]]}} These developments enabled humanity - primarily through the efforts of John-117 and [[Cortana]] - to defeat the [[Ur-Didact]] during his renewed campaign to [[Composer|compose]] humanity into [[Promethean Knight]]s.{{Ref/Level|Id=Midnight|H4|Midnight}} Despite this tragedy, the Librarian originally hoped that the Didact would emerge from [[Cryptum|stasis]] after millennia of meditation to guide humanity; he was to give them the [[Janus Key]], thereby providing the location of all Forerunner technology in the galaxy and securing the Reclaimers' ascendancy.{{Ref/Reuse|Key}}


''The above is one possible interpretation. It is not stated explicitly in either gameplay or literature that Reclaimer is even a title. Neither The Master Chief nor Commander Keyes are ever referred to as '''the''' Reclaimer. The Monitor always uses the terms '''Reclaimer''', '''a Reclaimer''', or '''this Reclaimer'''.''
The status of Reclaimer was conferred upon humanity as an emergency directive on the authority of the remains of the [[New Council]] (namely the Librarian and the [[IsoDidact]]) during the events surrounding the firing of the [[Halo Array]]. This overrode the [[Builder]]-controlled Old Council's previous ruling from ten thousand years earlier which involved humanity's biological and technological [[Erde-Tyrene civilization|regression]] as punishment for their part in the [[human-Forerunner wars]]. However, following the enactment of this punitive measure, the Librarian had been secretly modifying humanity's ''geas'' for thousands of years to prepare them to take on the role of Reclaimers — against the direct orders of the Council.<ref name="definition">[https://forums.halowaypoint.com/yaf_postsm2969311_Catalog-Interaction.aspx#post2969311 ''Halo Waypoint'': ''Catalog Interaction'' (post 2969311)]</ref>


=== Reclaimers are literally Reclaimers ===
Strangely, [[343 Guilty Spark]], the monitor of Halo Installation 04, once insisted to John-117, "You ''are'' Forerunner."{{Ref/Reuse|H3 Halo}} This is presumably metaphorical, as [[Mendicant Bias]] likewise claimed the Reclaimers as its makers,{{Ref/Novel|Id=Oracle|CH|Page=274-278}} despite humanity being genetically and culturally distinct from the Forerunners. Alternately, this may be due to the onset of rampancy; Guilty Spark had previously treated the Master Chief as if the latter were the [[IsoDidact]], responding to a question the IsoDidact had asked 100,000 years prior.{{Ref/Level|CE|[[343 Guilty Spark (level)|343 Guilty Spark]]}}{{Ref/Novel|Sil|Page=314}}


Although only briefly referred to in [[Ghosts Of Onyx]], one of the [[Sentinel|Sentinels]] speaks and refers to one of the Spartan-III's as a Reclaimer. This might mean that all Forerunners involved in the Halo project were Reclaimers, or the people that hid in the shield were meant to come back and "reclaim" all of the Forerunners technology after the Halo system fired.
===Failures to recognize Reclaimer status===
As the {{UNSCShip|Spirit of Fire}} was pulled inside of [[Trove]] on [[2531#February|February 23, 2531]], the ship and her crew were scanned by the installation's decontamination network. In addition to detecting a high-order [[Flood]] infestation, the [[Unidentified ancilla (Shield World 0459)|ancilla]] in charge of the network's cleansing rings failed to recognize the crew as Reclaimers. As the ''Spirit of Fire's'' crew and complement were regarded as an "unknown alien intrusion", they were forced to engage a bevy of [[Sentinel]]s in addition to fighting the Flood on the surface of the ship.{{Ref/Level|HW|Repairs}}


Also, after the Spartan-III responds, the Sentinel reclassifies him as an "aboriginal sub-species." One could argue that the Spartan-III's are a lesser form, or sub-species, of the Spartan-IIs. However the more likely thing that happened was that the Spartan-III simply did not give the Sentinel the correct response.
During the [[Onyx Conflict]] in [[2552#October|October]]-[[2552#November|November 2552]], the [[SPARTAN-III program|SPARTAN-III]] [[Ash-G099]] failed to provide the appropriate counter-response to a [[Onyx Sentinel|Sentinel]] after initially being recognized as a Reclaimer.{{Ref/Novel|Id=goo|GoO|Page=133}} This caused the Sentinel to reclassify Ash as a "non-Reclaimer" and an "aboriginal subspecies" of humanity.{{Ref/Reuse|goo}}


It was stated in Episode 5 of Iris that humans are meant to ''Reclaim'' the Ark and any other Forerunner technology.
During the [[Requiem Campaign]], [[Jul 'Mdama's Covenant|Jul 'Mdama's forces]] captured [[Hawk Squad]] and forced them to activate a Forerunner map of [[Requiem]] at "[[Lockup]]," but the structure failed to recognize them as Reclaimers.{{Ref/SpOps|Id=Hammer2|[[Key]]|[[Key/The Hammer|The Hammer]]}}


=== Reclaimer is another word for human ===
===Humans identified as Reclaimers===
<!--These characters are listed in chronological order. Only their interactions with the Forerunners or their technology should be related.-->
Given that all known bestowals of the "Reclaimer" title have occurred during military engagements, all individuals identified as such have been either military personnel or civilian advisers.
*[[Ellen Anders]] - Activated the [[Relic]] on [[Harvest]] in [[2531#February|February 2531]] with her touch.{{Ref/Level|HW|Relic Interior}} Kidnapped by [[Arbiter]] [[Ripa 'Moramee]], Anders was later forced to activate a fleet of {{Class|Sojourner|dreadnought}}s on [[Trove]] [[shield world]].{{Ref/Level|HW|[[Beachhead (Halo Wars level)|Beachhead]]}}
*[[Evelyn Rousseau]] - After retrieving the Forerunner artifact from [[Brume-sur-Mer]], Evie managed to activate it with some effort.{{Ref/Novel|Id=MerDi11|MerDi|Chapter=11}} Throughout the mission to [[Annecy]], Evie continues to be the one to manipulate and control the artifact.{{Ref/Novel|MerDi}} Upon reaching the Forerunner structure in Annecy, the energy shield over the door recognizes Evie as a Reclaimer and opens to let her in before closing again to keep the Covenant out.{{Ref/Novel|Id=MerDi17|MerDi|Chapter=17}}
*[[Dorian Nguyen]] - Upon reaching the Forerunner structure in Annecy, the energy shield over the door recognizes Dorian as a Reclaimer and opens to let him in before closing again to keep the Covenant out.{{Ref/Reuse|MerDi17}}
*[[Saskia Nazari]] - Upon reaching the Forerunner structure in Annecy, the energy shield over the door recognizes Saskia as a Reclaimer and opens to let her in before closing again to keep the Covenant out.{{Ref/Reuse|MerDi17}}
*[[Victor Gallardo]] - Upon reaching the Forerunner structure in Annecy, the energy shield over the door recognizes Victor as a Reclaimer and opens to let him in before closing again to keep the Covenant out.{{Ref/Reuse|MerDi17}}
*[[Owen-B096]] - Upon reaching the Forerunner structure in Annecy, the energy shield over the door recognizes Owen as a Reclaimer and opens to let him in before closing again to keep the Covenant out.{{Ref/Reuse|MerDi17}}
*[[Taylor Miles]] and [[Kojo Agu]] - The Forerunner construct called [[the Knowing]] identified them as Reclaimers and obeyed their order to [[self-destruct]].{{Ref/Comic|HHj|Issue=5}}
*[[Marvin Mobuto]] - Recruited by 343 Guilty Spark to fire Alpha Halo during the Flood outbreak. Killed in the installation's [[Library]] while attempting to retrieve the [[Activation Index]].{{Ref/Novel|TF}}
*[[John-117]] - Arguably the most significant Reclaimer, John-117 is the realization of a ''geas'' seeded by the Librarian which apparently manifested in the [[Spartan-II]]s' creator, [[Catherine Halsey|Dr. Catherine Halsey]].{{Ref/Reuse|H4 Reclaimer}} He is responsible for the destruction of Halo [[Installation 04]]{{Ref/Level|CE|The Maw}} and its replacement, as well as the latter's activation and the ensuing defeat of an active [[Gravemind]]; the near-destruction of [[Installation 00]];{{Ref/Level|Id=H3 Halo|H3|[[Halo (Halo 3 level)|Halo]]}} and the defeat of the [[Ur-Didact]].{{Ref/Reuse|Midnight}}
*[[Miranda Keyes]] - In [[2552#November|November 2552]], the [[Chieftain of the Jiralhanae|Jiralhanae Chieftain]] [[Tartarus]] forced Commander Keyes to fire [[Installation 05|Delta Halo]] and thereby the rest of the Array, though the Jiralhanae was soon killed and the firing process was aborted by Keyes.{{Ref/Level|H2|[[The Great Journey]]}} Later, the [[Prophet of Truth]] attempted to force her to activate the entire Halo Array from the lesser Ark's control room.{{Ref/Reuse|The Covenant}}
*[[Avery Johnson]] - Similar to Keyes, Johnson was nearly forced by the [[Prophet of Truth]] to activate the entire Halo Array from the lesser Ark's control room, though he was rescued before this could occur.{{Ref/Level|Id=The Covenant|H3|[[The Covenant (level)|The Covenant]]}} He was killed shortly thereafter while attempting to activate the incomplete [[Installation 08]], though John-117 successfully completed this mission.{{Ref/Reuse|H3 Halo}}
*[[Lucy-B091]] - Identified as a Reclaimer by the Huragok [[Prone to Drift]].{{Ref/Novel|TTW}}
*[[Staffan Sentzke]] - Identified as a Reclaimer by the Huragok [[Sometimes Sinks]].{{Ref/Novel|MorDi|Page=392}}
*[[Bobby Kodiak]] - Kidnapped by [[000 Tragic Solitude]] (the [[monitor]] of Installation 00) and used to activate the Halo Array. Killed along with Solitude during [[Operation: FAR STORM]].{{Ref/Novel|HitD|Page=277}}
*[[Luther Mann]] - Deactivated the [[Halo Array]] from [[Installation 00]] during [[Operation: FAR STORM]].{{Ref/Novel|HitD|Page=258}}
*[[Olympia Vale]] - Identified as a Reclaimer by [[Monitor]] [[000 Tragic Solitude]] who intended to use either her or [[Bobby Kodiak]] to reactivate the [[Halo Array]].{{Ref/Novel|HitD|Page=327}}
*At least one member of [[Fireteam Crimson]] interacted with several Forerunner artifacts during the [[Requiem Campaign]].{{Ref/SpOps}}
*[[Henry Glassman]] - While studying one of the [[Requiem slipspace artifacts]], he accidentally activated it{{Ref/SpOps|[[Artifact (Spartan Ops)|Artifact]]}} and was [[Slipspace translocation|translocated]] to Requiem and held hostage by the Covenant{{Ref/SpOps|[[Catherine]]}} he accidentally activated a protective shield at "[[Librarian's Rest]]."{{Ref/SpOps|[[Scattered]]}} After being rescued, he deactivated one of the three [[Requiem slipspace artifacts|artifacts]] which held {{UNSCShip|Infinity}} anchored to the planet.{{Ref/SpOps|Id=Exodus2|[[Exodus (Spartan Ops)|Exodus]]}}
*[[Catherine Halsey]] - After being captured by the Covenant, Halsey deactivated the protective shield surrounding the shrine at "Librarian's Rest" and entered where the Lifeshaper's [[mind transfer|essence]] personally entrusted the [[Janus Key]] to her care.{{Ref/SpOps|[[Expendable]]}}{{Ref/SpOps|Id=Key|[[Key]]}}
*[[Gabriel Thorne]] - During the later stages of the Requiem Campaign, Thorne deactivated one of [[Requiem slipspace artifacts|the three artifacts]] that held the {{UNSCShip|Infinity}} anchored to the planet.{{Ref/Reuse|Exodus2}}
*[[Fireteam Osiris]] - Was able to activate various terminals on [[Genesis]] under the direction of [[Monitor]] [[031 Exuberant Witness]] to rescue [[Blue Team]] and give Exuberant Witness back control of the planet.{{Ref/Game|H5}}
*[[Rion Forge]] - Identified as a Reclaimer by [[Little Bit]].{{Ref/Novel|Id=SAS|SaS|Page=123-126}} Utilized by [[343 Guilty Spark]] to unlock and power up the [[Builder]] facility on [[Triniel]] and later the Forerunner structure beneath [[Kilimanjaro]] where a personality imprint of the [[Librarian]] was located. Though Spark never explicitly told Rion that she was a Reclaimer, he instead chose to explain how her DNA allowed her to access both locations instead of just using the broad term to explain why he needed her.{{Ref/Novel|Ren}} Later helped Spark to access the [[Cartographer]] on [[Installation 07]]{{Ref/Novel|PoL|16}} and [[Keeper-of-Tools]] to activate the ''[[Eden (ship)|Eden]]'' on [[Bastion]].{{Ref/Novel|PoL|41}}
*Crew of the {{UNSCShip|Spirit of Fire}} - Referred to as Reclaimers by [[Little Bit]] while describing the events of the [[Battle of Trove]] to [[Rion Forge]].{{Ref/Novel|SAS}}
*[[Lessa]] - When Lessa handled the Librarian's [[coordinate key]], it responded to her touch as a Reclaimer and shifted to display the symbol for Installation 07.{{Ref/Novel|PoL|5}} Later combined the pieces of the coordinate key and completed it.{{Ref/Reuse|PoL28}}
*[[Ram Chalva]] - Utilized the coordinate key on a terminal in the Forerunner way station in [[New Carthage]], resulting in it giving him the third piece of the key.{{Ref/Novel|Id=PoL28|PoL|28}}
*[[Veta Lopis]] - Utilized as a Reclaimer by the [[Keepers of the One Freedom]], [[Intrepid Eye]] and the [[Dhas Bhasvod's Covenant]] to activate one of the Ark's Cartographers and they attempted to use her to activate the Halo Array from [[Epsilon Clarion]].{{Ref/Novel|Id=DW|DW}}
*[[Lucas Browning]] - Captured and utilized as a Reclaimer by the [[Banished]] in order to release The [[Harbinger]] from her [[cylix]] on [[Installation 07]].{{Ref/Game|Id=tp3|Hi|Audio log (Halo Infinite)#The Prisoner 2|UNSC Audio log|Detail=The Prisoner #03 - She was Smiling}}{{Ref/Novel|RP|25}}
*[[TJ Murphy]] - Identified as a Reclaimer by [[Submonitor]] [[091 Adjutant Veridity]].{{Ref/Novel|Id=RP30|RP|30}}
*[[Erik Bender]] - Identified as a Reclaimer by [[Submonitor]] [[091 Adjutant Veridity]].{{Ref/Reuse|RP30}}
*[[Isaiah Cameron]] - Identified as a Reclaimer by [[Submonitor]] [[091 Adjutant Veridity]].{{Ref/Reuse|RP30}}
*[[Robin Dimik]] - Identified as a Reclaimer by [[Submonitor]] [[091 Adjutant Veridity]].{{Ref/Reuse|RP30}}
*[[Tomas Horvath]] - With the help of his AI [[Elfie]], lowered the energy barrier put up by [[Cortana]] around [[117649 Despondent Pyre]], something that not even Zeta Halo's [[submonitor]]s could do.{{Ref/Novel|RP|34}}
*[[Nina Kovan]] - Activated a [[teleportation grid|translocation pad]] using the symbols provided by Despondent Pyre to teleport the [[boat crew]] out of the Conservatory.{{Ref/Novel|RP|35}}


Another interpretation is that a Reclaimer is the [[Forerunner]] terminology for a human. From this it is possible to assume that the Forerunners had knowledge of humans and delegated to them the task of reclaiming Indices and activating the rings, among many other speculative duties. This theory is supported by the scene when an Onyx Sentinel chasing Spartan-III G099 attempted to communicate with him, calling him a Reclaimer. Also, the [[Brute]] [[Tartarus]] ordered [[Miranda Keyes]] to insert the [[Index]], instead of doing it himself, further supporting this theory.
==As understood by the Covenant==
The Reclaimer glyph was one of the holiest icons in the [[Covenant religion]], as well as the source of one of its greatest flaws. For millennia, the Covenant's leadership misinterpreted the "Reclaimer" glyph (which they read upside down) as "Reclamation". The [[San'Shyuum|Prophets]] misconstrued this as the Covenant's divine mandate to procure "holy" Forerunner technology from areas of space known as [[reliquary|reliquaries]]; the [[Ages of Reclamation]] were designated as periods of significant Forerunner discoveries. While incorrectly understood by the Covenant as their quest for Forerunner relics, the Reclamation is an actual concept pertaining to the Reclaimers' process of reattaining the Mantle.{{Ref/Level|H4|[[Epilogue (Halo 4 level)|Epilogue]]|Quote=The Reclamation... has already begun. And we are hopeless to stop it.}} Like the Forerunners, the Covenant (if only the Prophets) considered themselves the inheritors of the Mantle.{{Ref/Reuse|Covie Mantle}} However, because the Covenant's member species are not recognized as Reclaimers (being referred to as "intruders" and "meddlers" by [[343 Guilty Spark]]), they require human captives to activate certain Forerunner technology, most notably the Halo rings, the [[Installation 00|Ark]], and [[shield world]]s. One notable exception is [[Jul 'Mdama]], who gained the allegiance of the Promethean Knights on the shield world [[Requiem]] following the Didact's apparent demise; he was able to set Requiem on a collision course with [[Epoloch system|its star]], though it seems he was given the Didact's override to accomplish this.{{Ref/SpOps|Id=Exodus|[[Exodus (Spartan Ops)|S1010 Exodus]]|Detail=This is evidenced by the appearance of the Ur-Didact's sigil when 'Mdama gives inputs the [[self-destruct]] order.}} While the [[Banished]] [[War Chief]] [[Escharum]] scorned [[Castor]] for using humans to activate the [[Menachite portal complex]] in [[2559#October|October 2559]], the old [[Dokab]] was well-aware of the human affinity for Forerunner technology, having witnessed humans activate devices that [[Kig-Yar]] scavengers and [[Sangheili]] priests had proclaimed to be worthless.{{Ref/Novel|Id=Chapter 21|SoR|Chapter=21}}


The recent conclusion of the [[Iris]] ARG hinted that humans are reclaimers because the [[Forerunners]] discovered humanity soon before they activated the [[Halo]] array, choosing to protect the humans rather than let them die out too.
====History====
For many Ages, the Covenant used [[Luminary|Luminaries]] (crude AIs based on Forerunner [[ancilla]]s) to pinpoint concentrations of Forerunner artifacts. At the turn of [[2524]] - [[2525]], the Luminary aboard the vessel ''[[Minor Transgression]]'' led the ship's crew to the human colony world of [[Harvest]]. Ultimately, communications between the planet's government and the Covenant broke down, leading to the [[First Battle of Harvest|first major conflict]] between the two civilizations and the planet's eventual [[glassing]]. A trio of mid-level San'Shyuum ministers consulted the "Oracle" aboard the [[Forerunner Dreadnought]] on [[High Charity]] about the "Reclamation" glyphs encountered in such large numbers on Harvest; these San'Shyuum hoped to use the clout gained from this discovery to oust the current triumvirate of [[Hierarchs]]. The Oracle, which was actually the AI [[Mendicant Bias]], informed the party that the luminations found on Harvest were actually the world's human population, and that the symbol the Covenant had long held to mean "Reclamation" actually meant "Reclaimer"; following this revelation, Mendicant Bias attempted to leave High Charity and make contact with its so-called "makers", though the ship was disabled and the AI quarantined before this could happen.{{Ref/Reuse|Oracle}}


=== Forerunners are human ===
The schemers interpreted the Oracle's words to mean that humans were actually the living remnants of Forerunner civilization; this would directly contradict the Covenant's dogma regarding the [[Covenant religion#Great Journey|Great Journey]], which held that the Forerunners used an artifact known as [[Halo Array|Halo]] to transcend to godhood. Accordingly, the newly ordained [[Prophet of Truth]] declared a [[Human-Covenant War|war of extermination]] upon humanity, secretly hoping that genocide would prevent humanity's relation to the Forerunners from coming to light.{{Ref/Reuse|Oracle}} In the wake of commencing the Ninth Age of Reclamation, Truth also revealed that the Reclaimer glyph could help the Covenant scour the galaxy for any other [[human colonies]].{{Ref/Novel|CH|Page=381-382}}


An interpratation of Reclaimer has been that humans were in fact Forerunners due to the comments said by [[343 Guilty Spark]] and also due to similarities with the Halo installations and Earth and with the Ark being on Earth. But with the recent release of [[Iris]] it was confirmed when [[Episode 5]] opened that humans were not Forerunners. This was also comfirmed in the online comic [[Cradle of Life]] showing N'Chala watching the Forerunners build the Ark.
==Non-canon and dubious canon appearances==
{{Notice/Silver|category=no}}
===Silver Timeline===
{{Main|Silver Timeline}}
In the [[Silver Timeline]], Reclaimers appeared to be much rarer, rather than just humanity as a whole. Neither [[Soren-066/Silver|Soren-066]] nor [[Reth/Silver|Reth]] had Forerunner artifacts respond to them while [[Makee]] and [[John-117/Silver|John-117]] did, making them "Blessed Ones" in the eyes of the Covenant. After seeing John activate the [[keystone]], Reth stated that John was "different" than Makee and that he could see it in John's eyes. John was also immune to the harmful effects that the artifact had on the entire [[The Rubble/Silver|Rubble]].{{Ref/Reuse|Unbound}} [[Silver Team/Silver|Silver Team]] was also unable to activate the keystone.{{Ref/Reuse|Homecoming}}


=== Enhanced means Reclaimer ===
After John activated the keystone and [[Cortana/Silver|Cortana]] put him into stasis in order to access it herself through John, the artifact immediately shut itself down, indicating that the Reclaimer needed to be conscious for Forerunner technology to respond to them.{{Ref/Reuse|Emergence}}


Another interpretation is that is not the species, but their cybernetic implants that mark the Master Chief and Commander Keyes as Reclaimers. [[Gravemind]] also referred to the Master Chief's "machine and nerve" mind as "concluded", which may mean it is closer to some arbitrary standard (the Forerunners?) than a merely organic mind. As all UNSC personnel have cybernetic implants of varying qualities, this may mean that a civilian human would not be regarded as a Reclaimer. This is, as is much of the Halo universe, all highly speculative.
John's altered hormonal state due to his [[emotional regulator]] appeared to affect his interactions with the keystone. Once he had removed the regulator, the memories that were unlocked by John touching it became clearer.{{Ref/Reuse|Emergence}}


(Given the situation, machine and nerve could simply be a reference to his cybernetic enhancements and has his mind 'concluded' in ending this war, while the Arbiter was 'merely flesh and faith and is the more deluded' in that he had no modifications and was blind in his faith towards the Covenant beliefs)
At John's request, [[Miranda Keyes/Silver|Miranda Keyes]] compared his and Makee's DNA after Makee revealed that she could also activate the keystones. In the uncoded intragenetic region of their DNA, Miranda found histone proteins that were unique to John and Makee. While Miranda couldn't say that it was the source of their connection to the artifacts, John and Makee's gene alignment in that area was remarkably similar. In addition, the anomaly that John and Makee shared belonged only to them. Statistically, they were two in a billion.{{Ref/Film|Id=Solace|TV|Episode=[[Solace (TV Series)|Solace]]}}


=== Forerunners evolved into humans ===
====Failures to recognize Reclaimer status====
When [[Soren-066/Silver|Soren-066]] touched the [[Madrigal]] [[keystone]], it failed to respond to his touch. [[Reth/Silver|Reth]] also failed to activate the Forerunner artifacts that the Covenant had tried on him despite Reth being "sensitive" as a mystic.{{Ref/Reuse|Unbound}} When [[Silver Team/Silver|Silver Team]] tried touching the Keystone, it failed to respond to them as well.{{Ref/Film|Id=Homecoming|TV|Episode=[[Homecoming (TV Series)|Homecoming]]}}


The small comic strip "[[Halo 3: The Cradle of Life|The Cradle of Life]]", disproved this theory, since it shows a Human tribe elder watch as the Forerunners build the Ark.
====Humans identified as Reclaimers====
*[[John-117/Silver|John-117]] - Had the [[Madrigal]] and [[Eridanus II]] [[keystone]]s respond to his touch and activate for him, even as a child.{{Ref/Film|Id=Contact|TV|Episode=[[Contact]]}}{{Ref/Reuse|Emergence}}{{Ref/Reuse|Homecoming}} After seeing John activate the artifact, [[Reth/Silver|Reth]] stated that John was "different" than Makee and that he could see it in John's eyes.{{Ref/Film|Id=Unbound|TV|Episode=[[Unbound]]}} It was suggested that the Madrigal keystone had an intelligence that either responded to John's needs or anticipated what he required each time he activated it.{{Ref/Reuse|Homecoming}}
*[[Makee]] - Mentioned by the [[Prophet of Mercy/Silver|Prophet of Mercy]] to have had Forerunner artifacts respond to her touch.{{Ref/Reuse|Contact}} According to Reth, she is "different" than John-117.{{Ref/Reuse|Unbound}} Discovered by [[Sangheili]] after a [[Luminary]] responded to her presence. Claimed to still feel the "spirit" of the Madrigal keystone even after it was taken from the planet.{{Ref/Reuse|Emergence}}


*But the tribal elder refers to them as the Gods. So they might have been going there for thousands of years. So then they may still be the evolved as the Forerunners may have been controlling the early forms of humans.
====As understood by the Covenant====
For the Covenant, Reclaimers are "Blessed Ones" who have the ability to activate Forerunner artifacts. [[Makee]], a human who they had discovered and taken into their custody as a child after she reacted to a [[Luminary]],{{Ref/Film|Id=Emergence|TV|Episode=[[Emergence]]}} is held and treated with a degree of reverence by the [[Hierarchs]].{{Ref/Reuse|Unbound}}


However it could be that the entire Halo story is actually story that keeps repeating itself and so the halos are destroyed by the chief then years later humans build new ones, encounter the flood and the whole thing reapeats. It could be that the master chief ends up breaking the halo chain and ends up reconfiguring the Halos to only target The Flood. However this is only speculation.
==Production notes==
[[File:Marathon Logo.svg|175px|thumb|The Reclaimer symbol as seen in Bungie's games.]]
*The original Reclaimer glyph is actually the logo of [[Bungie]]'s ''[[Marathon]]'' trilogy. Due to the ''Marathon'' franchise remaining Bungie's intellectual property, the Reclaimer symbol in media by [[343 Industries]] has the same basic design, though it is much more abstract. Curiously, the original symbol appears on holographic terminals in the ''[[Spartan Ops]]'' chapter ''[[Key/The Hammer|The Hammer]]''.
*According to [[Bungie]] employee [[David Candland]],<ref name="blam">[http://forums.bungie.org/halo/archive36.pl?read=1070818 ''halo.bungie.org'': ''Re: Why retcons don't bother me anymore''] (Evil Otto: ''"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."'')</ref> Bungie's original intention for the connection between humanity and Forerunners was that they were one and the same; this was hinted repeatedly throughout the ''Halo'' Trilogy<ref name="blam2">[http://forums.bungie.org/halo/archive36.pl?read=1070818 '''halo.bungie.org''': ''Re: Why retcons don't bother me anymore''] (Evil Otto: ''"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."'')</ref> and potentially alluded to in [[Joseph Staten]]'s novel ''[[Halo: Contact Harvest]]''. In this regard the title of "Reclaimer" would indicate modern humans salvaging the relics of their ancestors, thus giving the term a literal meaning. During the development of ''[[Halo 3]]'', this changed so that humans and Forerunners were distinct from one another, as is evident in material released as part of the game's marketing campaign and in the [[terminal]]s found within the game itself. The books of ''[[The Forerunner Saga]]'' released by [[343 Industries]] expanded greatly on the similarities and difference between both peoples, establishing that the two species were indeed related but distinct and that the actual connection goes far further back than the events in the books, to the time when both species had been created by the Precursors.


Another theory is that the Forerunners encountered primitive humans while building the Ark and decided to make sure that humans gained intelligence after the Halos are fired and the Forerunners are killed along with all other intelligent life of sufficient biomass.  
===Trivia===
*The [[Bestiarum]] associates the [[Latin]] "Homo ''sapiens augeous''" with its "Reclaimer" entry. This is probably intended to mean ''"augmented intelligent man"'', though ''augeous'' is conjugated incorrectly. Given the context of the entry in the ''Bestiarum'', it seems that this entry refers specifically to [[John-117]] as opposed to all Reclaimers, and that "''Homo sapiens augeous''" refers only to Spartans. However, due to ''Halo 4's'' retcon that only certain humans are technically Reclaimers, this [[Wikipedia:Binomial nomenclature|binomial nomenclature]] may refer to humans carrying the genesong planted by the Librarian.
*"Reclaimer" is the second-highest [[Rank (Halo: Reach)|rank]] in ''Halo: Reach'' and highest [[Rank (Halo Wars 2)|rank]] in ''Halo Wars 2''.{{Clear}}


It was confirmed in Episode 5 of Iris that the Ark was built to protect humanity and that Forerunners had no previous interaction with humans.
==List of appearances==
<!--This list should feature only media in which the term "Reclaimer" is specifically invoked.-->
*''[[Halo: Combat Evolved]]'' {{1st}}
*''[[Halo: The Flood]]''
*''[[Halo 2]]''
**''[[Conversations from the Universe]]'' {{Mo}}
*''[[Halo: Ghosts of Onyx]]''
*''[[Halo 3]]''
**''[[Terminal (Halo 3)|Terminals]]''
*''[[Halo: Contact Harvest]]''
*''[[Halo Wars]]''
*''[[Halo: Helljumper]]''
*''[[Halo: Evolutions - Essential Tales of the Halo Universe]]''
*''[[Halo: Glasslands]]''
*''[[Halo: Combat Evolved Anniversary]]''
**''[[Terminal (Halo: Combat Evolved Anniversary)|Terminals]]''
*''[[Halo: Primordium]]''
*''[[Halo 4]]''
**''[[Terminal (Halo 4)|Terminals]]''
**''[[Spartan Ops]]''
*''[[Halo: Mortal Dictata]]''
*''[[Halo 2: Anniversary]]''
*''[[Halo: Last Light]]''
*''[[Halo 5: Guardians]]''
*''[[Halo: Smoke and Shadow]]''
*''[[Halo: Renegades]]''
*''[[Halo: Meridian Divide]]''
*''[[Halo: Shadows of Reach]]''
*''[[Halo: Point of Light]]''
*''[[Halo: Divine Wind]]''
*''[[Halo Infinite]]''
*''[[Halo: The Television Series]]''
**''[[Contact]]''
**''[[Unbound]]''
**''[[Emergence]]''
**''[[Homecoming (TV Series)|Homecoming]]''
**''[[Reckoning]]''
*''[[Halo: The Rubicon Protocol]]''


=== Time Travel ===
==Sources==
{{Ref/Sources}}


Working with the same quote, from the [[Two Betrayals (Levels)]]. ''"Why do you hesitate to do what you've already done?"'' this line perhaps suggests that as a Reclaimer, the Chief would be referred to as a Forerunner so therefore has done it generally as a race.
[[Category:Forerunner culture]]
 
[[Category:Human]]
One other speculation on the [[Halo 3]] plot would be that the Master Chief will time travel 100 000 years ago (Maybe with the help of some [[Forerunner]] technology) to activate the ring and try to eliminate the Flood. When Cortana says in the Halo 3 E3 trailer "I know you, your past, your future", she could be refirring to when the master chief travels back in time,(his past) and the time around 2550 A.D., (his future), this could strongly suggest that the master chief travels back in time. Also, significant possibility is that the [[Gravemind]] will travel back in time to achieve some sort of goal, and the Chief (and possibly the Arbiter) will follow it in order to prevent it from achieving its goal. He will do this on [[Installation 04]] with help of his monitor, [[343 Guilty Spark]]. Then he may stay in this time (and obviously die, as he won't be able to go to the Shield World, assuming he is not remotely activating the ring from the [[Ark]]), or maybe go back in 2552 just after reunified the index with the core, and just before the final activation of the ring). It could explain why the monitor tell MC ''"Why do you hesitate to do what you've already done?"'' : Because the MC actually did it already. This is clearly a speculation, but the fact that Halo 3's plot will implicate time traveling is very likely. This would also explain why the Forerunners did not relocate to the [[Shield World]], as they did not have any clue of the Halos' firing.
[[Category:Terms and phrases]]
 
The time travel theory is supported by similarity to Bungie's earlier trilogy, [[Marathon]]. In [[Marathon]], the main character, an advanced super-soldier, fights an alien race dead set on humanity's destruction, but beset by civil war. This super-soldier has assistance from [[AI]]s, and there are hints of a long-vanished advanced race with a legacy of destruction. This story is very similar to that of [[Halo]], and if one were to apply [[Marathon]]'s finale to the [[Halo]] trilogy, then the Master Chief would travel back in time, just as the main character in Marathon does, in order to stop the enemy alliance from releasing a chaotic force that threatens to consume all life in the galaxy ([[The Flood]]). If the [[Halo]] story follows [[Marathon]]'s to the letter, it may mean that the [[Master Chief]] does not travel 100,000 years into the past, but rather only a few weeks into the past, so as to stop the Covenant from releasing [[the Flood]] on [[Installation 04]]. Evidence to support this theory comes from the E3 2007 trailer, which briefly shows a number of [[human]] and [[Covenant]] ships in battle above another [[Halo]]. This could be the battle above [[Installation 04]] from [[Halo 1]], as it is unlikely, assuming the [[Chief]] travels through time, that an entire fleet of [[human]] and [[Covenant]] ships would follow him. Also, this would create a paradox, so it is entirely likely that if this does happen, it will fail. However, it could be that this new [[Halo]] from the trailer is simply one of the six other Halos in the galaxy; this is all theory and speculation. None of this has been confirmed or denied by [[Bungie]], so the overall plot for [[Halo 3]] remains a mystery. but slightly possible because the forerunner's had the ability to go forward in time via [[Shield World]].
 
=== Insanity ===
 
However, the above can be contradicted with the fact that 343 Guilty Spark is arguably insane. When he made the quote ''"Why do you hesitate to do what you've already done?"'' and recited a previous conversation he had with an unnamed individual, Spark may very well have been referring to a different Reclaimer from when Halo was first activated and, due to his insanity, conceived the Master Chief as the original Reclaimer. Or it could be that the Chief already put the index in and tried to activate the ring. However Cortana took the index from inside the mainframe and did not allow Halo to be activated. So when 343 Guilty Spark says "Why do you hesitate to do what you've already done?" it is referring to the Chief already trying to activate Halo. This too, however can be countered by the fact that Guilty Spark then goes to say "Last time when you asked me, 'would I do it?' Having had considerable time to ponder your query, my answer has not changed. We must activate the rings." he does in fact believe he has encountered the Master Chief before, or someone who greatly resembles him.
 
A problem with this theory is that the monitor of [[Installation 05]] also referred to MC, and not the [[Arbiter]], as a [[Reclaimer]]. This occurs during the cut-scene where [[Gravemind]] is introduced. Instead, the Covenant, or possibly just the Elites, are referred to as "Meddlers," taking a quote from the final scene in [[The Oracle]], where Spark says "Why do you meddlers insist on using such inaccurate verbiage?," to the Arbiter
 
[[Category:The Forerunner]]
[[Category:UNSC]]

Latest revision as of 23:49, June 10, 2024

This article is about the Forerunner term. For articles of the same name, see Reclaimer (disambiguation).
The Forerunner glyph for "Reclaimer".

"The Oracle calls them "Reclaimers". But what do they reclaim? These machines? These cities? These worlds? Or, as I fear, are they to reclaim the Mantle we so terribly squandered?"
— Minister of Discovery[1]

"Reclaimer" is a Forerunner term used to refer to a species (or a member of said species) chosen to be the inheritors of the Mantle,[2] the stewardship over all life originally held by the Precursors. Following the activation of the Halo Array and the ensuing Reintroduction, this refers to humans, whom the Forerunners (more pointedly those allied with the Librarian) regarded as their rightful successors. In particular the term is applied to humans who carry the requisite Lifeworker-created geas that allow them to activate Forerunner technology;[3] indeed, a great deal of the Forerunners' abandoned technology may be activated only when used by a Reclaimer. For most of their history, however, the Forerunners considered themselves the rightful inheritors of the Mantle from the Precursors, who had originally intended to pass the Mantle down to humanity.

Overview[edit]

Generally speaking, the term "Reclaimer" refers to humans (as a species or as individuals) retaking stewardship of the Mantle. However, technically the term denotes humans who are capable of activating Forerunner technology.[4] This is due to the presence of geas implanted by the Librarian,[3] which give at least some humans an instinctive familiarity (often a feeling of déjà vu) when encountering Forerunner technology. For example, Spartan John-117 simply "knew" how to activate a holographic control panel on Halo Installation 04, despite it being the first piece of Forerunner technology he had ever encountered.[5] This innate knowledge extends to Covenant technology as well, as Covenant technology is crudely reverse-engineered from Forerunner designs.[6] In the same vein, Forerunner technology responds to human presence much as it would have done in the presence of its creators, though it will not do so for other species. Though it is unclear how commonly the geas may be found among humans, it is known that at least some are incapable of properly interfacing with Forerunner technology.[4] An imprint of Birth-to-Light once told Rion Forge of the Librarian and the mark that she had left on the human race that "all of humanity carries remnants of her work from times past - passed along from generation to generation, becoming dormant but never gone. It is what propels our technology to recognize your status and allow interaction.[7]

Along with implanting the geas necessary to utilize Forerunner relics, the Librarian planted "seeds" that led to some of humanity's most important technological achievements. Specifically, this genesong led to the creation of the SPARTAN programs and their MJOLNIR Powered Assault Armor, as well as Smart AI.[8] These developments enabled humanity - primarily through the efforts of John-117 and Cortana - to defeat the Ur-Didact during his renewed campaign to compose humanity into Promethean Knights.[9] Despite this tragedy, the Librarian originally hoped that the Didact would emerge from stasis after millennia of meditation to guide humanity; he was to give them the Janus Key, thereby providing the location of all Forerunner technology in the galaxy and securing the Reclaimers' ascendancy.[10]

The status of Reclaimer was conferred upon humanity as an emergency directive on the authority of the remains of the New Council (namely the Librarian and the IsoDidact) during the events surrounding the firing of the Halo Array. This overrode the Builder-controlled Old Council's previous ruling from ten thousand years earlier which involved humanity's biological and technological regression as punishment for their part in the human-Forerunner wars. However, following the enactment of this punitive measure, the Librarian had been secretly modifying humanity's geas for thousands of years to prepare them to take on the role of Reclaimers — against the direct orders of the Council.[3]

Strangely, 343 Guilty Spark, the monitor of Halo Installation 04, once insisted to John-117, "You are Forerunner."[11] This is presumably metaphorical, as Mendicant Bias likewise claimed the Reclaimers as its makers,[12] despite humanity being genetically and culturally distinct from the Forerunners. Alternately, this may be due to the onset of rampancy; Guilty Spark had previously treated the Master Chief as if the latter were the IsoDidact, responding to a question the IsoDidact had asked 100,000 years prior.[13][14]

Failures to recognize Reclaimer status[edit]

As the UNSC Spirit of Fire was pulled inside of Trove on February 23, 2531, the ship and her crew were scanned by the installation's decontamination network. In addition to detecting a high-order Flood infestation, the ancilla in charge of the network's cleansing rings failed to recognize the crew as Reclaimers. As the Spirit of Fire's crew and complement were regarded as an "unknown alien intrusion", they were forced to engage a bevy of Sentinels in addition to fighting the Flood on the surface of the ship.[15]

During the Onyx Conflict in October-November 2552, the SPARTAN-III Ash-G099 failed to provide the appropriate counter-response to a Sentinel after initially being recognized as a Reclaimer.[16] This caused the Sentinel to reclassify Ash as a "non-Reclaimer" and an "aboriginal subspecies" of humanity.[16]

During the Requiem Campaign, Jul 'Mdama's forces captured Hawk Squad and forced them to activate a Forerunner map of Requiem at "Lockup," but the structure failed to recognize them as Reclaimers.[17]

Humans identified as Reclaimers[edit]

Given that all known bestowals of the "Reclaimer" title have occurred during military engagements, all individuals identified as such have been either military personnel or civilian advisers.

As understood by the Covenant[edit]

The Reclaimer glyph was one of the holiest icons in the Covenant religion, as well as the source of one of its greatest flaws. For millennia, the Covenant's leadership misinterpreted the "Reclaimer" glyph (which they read upside down) as "Reclamation". The Prophets misconstrued this as the Covenant's divine mandate to procure "holy" Forerunner technology from areas of space known as reliquaries; the Ages of Reclamation were designated as periods of significant Forerunner discoveries. While incorrectly understood by the Covenant as their quest for Forerunner relics, the Reclamation is an actual concept pertaining to the Reclaimers' process of reattaining the Mantle.[53] Like the Forerunners, the Covenant (if only the Prophets) considered themselves the inheritors of the Mantle.[1] However, because the Covenant's member species are not recognized as Reclaimers (being referred to as "intruders" and "meddlers" by 343 Guilty Spark), they require human captives to activate certain Forerunner technology, most notably the Halo rings, the Ark, and shield worlds. One notable exception is Jul 'Mdama, who gained the allegiance of the Promethean Knights on the shield world Requiem following the Didact's apparent demise; he was able to set Requiem on a collision course with its star, though it seems he was given the Didact's override to accomplish this.[54] While the Banished War Chief Escharum scorned Castor for using humans to activate the Menachite portal complex in October 2559, the old Dokab was well-aware of the human affinity for Forerunner technology, having witnessed humans activate devices that Kig-Yar scavengers and Sangheili priests had proclaimed to be worthless.[55]

History[edit]

For many Ages, the Covenant used Luminaries (crude AIs based on Forerunner ancillas) to pinpoint concentrations of Forerunner artifacts. At the turn of 2524 - 2525, the Luminary aboard the vessel Minor Transgression led the ship's crew to the human colony world of Harvest. Ultimately, communications between the planet's government and the Covenant broke down, leading to the first major conflict between the two civilizations and the planet's eventual glassing. A trio of mid-level San'Shyuum ministers consulted the "Oracle" aboard the Forerunner Dreadnought on High Charity about the "Reclamation" glyphs encountered in such large numbers on Harvest; these San'Shyuum hoped to use the clout gained from this discovery to oust the current triumvirate of Hierarchs. The Oracle, which was actually the AI Mendicant Bias, informed the party that the luminations found on Harvest were actually the world's human population, and that the symbol the Covenant had long held to mean "Reclamation" actually meant "Reclaimer"; following this revelation, Mendicant Bias attempted to leave High Charity and make contact with its so-called "makers", though the ship was disabled and the AI quarantined before this could happen.[12]

The schemers interpreted the Oracle's words to mean that humans were actually the living remnants of Forerunner civilization; this would directly contradict the Covenant's dogma regarding the Great Journey, which held that the Forerunners used an artifact known as Halo to transcend to godhood. Accordingly, the newly ordained Prophet of Truth declared a war of extermination upon humanity, secretly hoping that genocide would prevent humanity's relation to the Forerunners from coming to light.[12] In the wake of commencing the Ninth Age of Reclamation, Truth also revealed that the Reclaimer glyph could help the Covenant scour the galaxy for any other human colonies.[56]

Non-canon and dubious canon appearances[edit]

HTV-SilverTeam logo.png
 This article contains information about the Silver Timeline, and is not a part of the established Halo canon.

Silver Timeline[edit]

Main article: Silver Timeline

In the Silver Timeline, Reclaimers appeared to be much rarer, rather than just humanity as a whole. Neither Soren-066 nor Reth had Forerunner artifacts respond to them while Makee and John-117 did, making them "Blessed Ones" in the eyes of the Covenant. After seeing John activate the keystone, Reth stated that John was "different" than Makee and that he could see it in John's eyes. John was also immune to the harmful effects that the artifact had on the entire Rubble.[57] Silver Team was also unable to activate the keystone.[58]

After John activated the keystone and Cortana put him into stasis in order to access it herself through John, the artifact immediately shut itself down, indicating that the Reclaimer needed to be conscious for Forerunner technology to respond to them.[59]

John's altered hormonal state due to his emotional regulator appeared to affect his interactions with the keystone. Once he had removed the regulator, the memories that were unlocked by John touching it became clearer.[59]

At John's request, Miranda Keyes compared his and Makee's DNA after Makee revealed that she could also activate the keystones. In the uncoded intragenetic region of their DNA, Miranda found histone proteins that were unique to John and Makee. While Miranda couldn't say that it was the source of their connection to the artifacts, John and Makee's gene alignment in that area was remarkably similar. In addition, the anomaly that John and Makee shared belonged only to them. Statistically, they were two in a billion.[60]

Failures to recognize Reclaimer status[edit]

When Soren-066 touched the Madrigal keystone, it failed to respond to his touch. Reth also failed to activate the Forerunner artifacts that the Covenant had tried on him despite Reth being "sensitive" as a mystic.[57] When Silver Team tried touching the Keystone, it failed to respond to them as well.[58]

Humans identified as Reclaimers[edit]

  • John-117 - Had the Madrigal and Eridanus II keystones respond to his touch and activate for him, even as a child.[61][59][58] After seeing John activate the artifact, Reth stated that John was "different" than Makee and that he could see it in John's eyes.[57] It was suggested that the Madrigal keystone had an intelligence that either responded to John's needs or anticipated what he required each time he activated it.[58]
  • Makee - Mentioned by the Prophet of Mercy to have had Forerunner artifacts respond to her touch.[61] According to Reth, she is "different" than John-117.[57] Discovered by Sangheili after a Luminary responded to her presence. Claimed to still feel the "spirit" of the Madrigal keystone even after it was taken from the planet.[59]

As understood by the Covenant[edit]

For the Covenant, Reclaimers are "Blessed Ones" who have the ability to activate Forerunner artifacts. Makee, a human who they had discovered and taken into their custody as a child after she reacted to a Luminary,[59] is held and treated with a degree of reverence by the Hierarchs.[57]

Production notes[edit]

SVG version of the Marathon Logo and Bungie-era Reclaimer glyph
The Reclaimer symbol as seen in Bungie's games.
  • The original Reclaimer glyph is actually the logo of Bungie's Marathon trilogy. Due to the Marathon franchise remaining Bungie's intellectual property, the Reclaimer symbol in media by 343 Industries has the same basic design, though it is much more abstract. Curiously, the original symbol appears on holographic terminals in the Spartan Ops chapter The Hammer.
  • According to Bungie employee David Candland,[62] Bungie's original intention for the connection between humanity and Forerunners was that they were one and the same; this was hinted repeatedly throughout the Halo Trilogy[63] and potentially alluded to in Joseph Staten's novel Halo: Contact Harvest. In this regard the title of "Reclaimer" would indicate modern humans salvaging the relics of their ancestors, thus giving the term a literal meaning. During the development of Halo 3, this changed so that humans and Forerunners were distinct from one another, as is evident in material released as part of the game's marketing campaign and in the terminals found within the game itself. The books of The Forerunner Saga released by 343 Industries expanded greatly on the similarities and difference between both peoples, establishing that the two species were indeed related but distinct and that the actual connection goes far further back than the events in the books, to the time when both species had been created by the Precursors.

Trivia[edit]

  • The Bestiarum associates the Latin "Homo sapiens augeous" with its "Reclaimer" entry. This is probably intended to mean "augmented intelligent man", though augeous is conjugated incorrectly. Given the context of the entry in the Bestiarum, it seems that this entry refers specifically to John-117 as opposed to all Reclaimers, and that "Homo sapiens augeous" refers only to Spartans. However, due to Halo 4's retcon that only certain humans are technically Reclaimers, this binomial nomenclature may refer to humans carrying the genesong planted by the Librarian.
  • "Reclaimer" is the second-highest rank in Halo: Reach and highest rank in Halo Wars 2.

List of appearances[edit]

Sources[edit]

  1. ^ a b Halo Encyclopedia (2009 edition), page 299
  2. ^ Halo: Last Light, page 315
  3. ^ a b c Halo Waypoint: Catalog Interaction (post 2969311)
  4. ^ a b Halo 4 - Spartan Ops, episode Key, level The Hammer: "Elites were here, trying to find Reclaimers: humans who can operate Forerunner technology."
  5. ^ Halo: The Flood, page 84
  6. ^ Halo: First Strike, page 142
  7. ^ Halo: Point of Light, chapter 39
  8. ^ a b Halo 4, campaign level Reclaimer
  9. ^ a b Halo 4, campaign level Midnight
  10. ^ a b Halo 4 - Spartan Ops, episode Key
  11. ^ a b c Halo 3, campaign level Halo
  12. ^ a b c Halo: Contact Harvest, page 274-278
  13. ^ Halo: Combat Evolved, campaign level 343 Guilty Spark
  14. ^ Halo: Silentium, page 314
  15. ^ Halo Wars, campaign level Repairs
  16. ^ a b Halo: Ghosts of Onyx, page 133
  17. ^ Halo 4 - Spartan Ops, episode Key, level The Hammer
  18. ^ Halo Wars, campaign level Relic Interior
  19. ^ Halo Wars, campaign level Beachhead
  20. ^ Halo: Meridian Divide, chapter 11
  21. ^ Halo: Meridian Divide
  22. ^ a b c d e Halo: Meridian Divide, chapter 17
  23. ^ Halo: Helljumper, issue 5
  24. ^ Halo: The Flood
  25. ^ Halo: Combat Evolved, campaign level The Maw
  26. ^ Halo 2, campaign level The Great Journey
  27. ^ a b Halo 3, campaign level The Covenant
  28. ^ Halo: The Thursday War
  29. ^ Halo: Mortal Dictata, page 392
  30. ^ Halo: Hunters in the Dark, page 277
  31. ^ Halo: Hunters in the Dark, page 258
  32. ^ Halo: Hunters in the Dark, page 327
  33. ^ Halo 4 - Spartan Ops
  34. ^ Halo 4 - Spartan Ops, episode Artifact
  35. ^ Halo 4 - Spartan Ops, episode Catherine
  36. ^ Halo 4 - Spartan Ops, episode Scattered
  37. ^ a b Halo 4 - Spartan Ops, episode Exodus
  38. ^ Halo 4 - Spartan Ops, episode Expendable
  39. ^ Halo 5: Guardians
  40. ^ Halo: Smoke and Shadow, page 123-126
  41. ^ Halo: Renegades
  42. ^ Halo: Point of Light, chapter 16
  43. ^ Halo: Point of Light, chapter 41
  44. ^ Halo: Smoke and Shadow
  45. ^ Halo: Point of Light, chapter 5
  46. ^ a b Halo: Point of Light, chapter 28
  47. ^ Halo: Divine Wind
  48. ^ Halo Infinite, UNSC Audio log: The Prisoner #03 - She was Smiling
  49. ^ Halo: The Rubicon Protocol, chapter 25
  50. ^ a b c d Halo: The Rubicon Protocol, chapter 30
  51. ^ Halo: The Rubicon Protocol, chapter 34
  52. ^ Halo: The Rubicon Protocol, chapter 35
  53. ^ Halo 4, campaign level Epilogue: "The Reclamation... has already begun. And we are hopeless to stop it."
  54. ^ Halo 4 - Spartan Ops, episode S1010 Exodus: This is evidenced by the appearance of the Ur-Didact's sigil when 'Mdama gives inputs the self-destruct order.
  55. ^ Halo: Shadows of Reach, chapter 21
  56. ^ Halo: Contact Harvest, page 381-382
  57. ^ a b c d e Halo: The Television Series, episode Unbound
  58. ^ a b c d Halo: The Television Series, episode Homecoming
  59. ^ a b c d e Halo: The Television Series, episode Emergence
  60. ^ Halo: The Television Series, episode Solace
  61. ^ a b Halo: The Television Series, episode Contact
  62. ^ halo.bungie.org: Re: Why retcons don't bother me anymore (Evil Otto: "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.")
  63. ^ halo.bungie.org: Re: Why retcons don't bother me anymore (Evil Otto: "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.")
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