Epilogue (Halo: Reach)

This article is about the soundtrack. For articles of the same name, see Epilogue.

Epilogue
Album:	Halo: Reach Original Soundtrack
Composer(s):	Martin O'Donnell and Michael Salvatori
Length:	4:30
Previous:	The Pillar of Autumn
Next:	From the Vault

Epilogue is the eleventh track (Disc 2 Track 4) included in Halo: Reach Original Soundtrack, and plays in the Halo: Reach campaign level Lone Wolf. It is composed of Spartans Never Die (0:00-0:55), Omega (0:55-2:08), and Hymn for Reach (2:08-4:30).

Overview

Spartans Never Die

Spartans Never Die (0:55) is a piano solo of the first theme from the later track Ghosts and Glass. The piece plays in the opening cinematic, with the final notes leading into the campaign level's opening gameplay moments.

Omega

Omega (1:13) features an eerie ambience by low strings, accompanied by male choir singing a dissonant melody. The piece plays when Noble Six’s helmet takes permanent damage during gameplay, and continues into the ending cinematic, up until the point when the Spartan’s helmet is shown being discarded on the dusty ground.

Hymn for Reach

Hymn for Reach (2:12) opens with high strings playing a sad, but hopeful, melody. The choir joins as the melody repeats for the first time. When the melody repeats for a second time, the instruments and choir enter a higher register at the end. High strings then take over for a serene and delicate bridge, playing in solo until the other instruments return for an uplifting finish. The piece plays in the final cinematic, when Catherine Halsey recites a eulogy to Noble Six, and it is revealed that Reach has returned to a habitable state in 2589. A shortened strings-only version of the piece was featured as Wing and a Prayer (from the earlier track New Alexandria), and the melody was used as a remix for the later track We Remember.

Production notes

• The genesis of Hymn for Reach was titled "Torture Hymn", retroactively named as such by O'Donnell because listening to it was a torture. Inspired by hymn music, the piece was initially written as an ambiance piece by low strings. The final melody of Hymn for Reach was already being developed, but it included an extended introduction, more notes in the main melody, and a second melody as its ending. In an attempt titled "Try Again", O'Donnell added high strings, but he considered the piece "a bit labored", and hated it. In another attempt titled "Try again again", O'Donnell reintroduced the “spacey” ambiance from Uppercut (from the earlier track Long Night of Solace), followed by a simplified melody of Hymn for Reach, and ending with space ambiance. O'Donnell also tried incorporating other melodies (including Ghosts and Glass) into the piece, but ultimately returned to the simplified main melody from "Try again again", played by brass instead of strings, the result of which he considered slightly more hymn-like. The piece was finalized in an attempt titled "Hymn for Reach strings", in which high strings played the main melody at a higher register. O’Donnell also anticipated choir joining in the first reprise of the melody, and the idea was actualized in the final piece.
• The name Spartans Never Die alludes to ONI Directive 930, which banned the application of KIA status to SPARTAN-II personnel - a tradition which eventually extended to the SPARTAN-IIIs. The phrase was first said by Carter-A259 verbatim in the Halo: Reach Video Games Awards Trailer, and also served as the level description of Lone Wolf.
• The name Omega likely alludes to Rally Point Omega in the level.