Halo: Nightfall

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"Survival is a choice."

— Official tagline

Halo: Nightfall is an ongoing live-action Xbox Originals webseries for the Xbox One, Xbox 360, and other Microsoft devices to be released in 2014. Consisting of five episodes, the series was created by Scott Free Productions in conjunction with 343 Industries. Acclaimed filmmaker Ridley Scott was the show's executive producer along with Scott Free TV President David Zucker; it was directed by television director Sergio Mimica-Gezzan. In the series, "A strange and treacherous world exposes elite UNSC operatives to a much deeper danger." The five episodes of Nightfall will air on the Halo Channel weekly, on Tuesdays at 4 PM PST, starting on November 11, 2014.

Serving as an origin story for Agent Locke, a secondary playable character in Halo 5: Guardians, Nightfall will connect the stories of Halo 4 and Guardians. An ONI unit under Locke's command is deployed on the distant human Outer Colony of Sedra to investigate terrorist activity. Sedra is described as a backwater world harboring a disdain for the Unified Earth Government and the UNSC. During their investigation, a Sedran city is attacked by Sangheili terrorists wielding a biological weapon that only affects humans. Locke's team is forced to work together with Sedran Colonial Guard commander Randall Aiken and his troops to track down the origin of the bioweapon. During their search, the unit is drawn to a partially intact section of Installation 04, the Halo ringworld destroyed by the Master Chief in the first Halo game. A grave threat present on the ancient construct soon turns the mission into a desperate fight for survival.

Nightfall will have narrative connections to Halo: The Television Series. The series will also incorporate interactive features with the upcoming Halo Channel application for Xbox One. Viewers can complete challenges related to the series to unlock features that can be used in Halo games. Each episode has several challenges and "Second Story" videos that expand on events that were not shown in the series. Additionally, viewers can access the Halo Channel's new "Halo Encyclopedia" to gain information on characters, locations, weapons, and vehicles that are featured in Halo: Nightfall.

Synopsis

Chapter One: It's Only Just Beginning

The series opens with Colonel Randall Aiken, the Sedran Colonial Guard's commander, looking upon a sunset over Sedra City in his apartment with his daughter Natalie. In a voice-over, Aiken monologues about the nature of being a soldier and ominously hints at the events to come.

The story proper begins on the outskirts of Sedra City, where Lieutenant Commander Locke and his four-man team trail a Yonhet smuggler. The alien meets with a Sangheili Zealot and hands him a device known to be used to contain bombs. The ONI agents split up; Ramos apprehends the Yonhet while Locke goes after the Zealot. Locke follows the Elite into a city access tunnel, but the Zealot escapes after a brief duel. In the city, ONI operatives Jordan Gaines and Mason Hundley are implementing lockdown protocols but fail to prevent the Zealot from entering a crowded mall. Locke confronts the Sangheili and attempts to force him to surrender, but the Zealot instead jumps off a ledge and activates the device. The weapon releases an energy pulse which covers the entire city and beyond but appears harmless at first. However, civilians soon start showing symptoms of infection, having difficulty breathing and their veins being turning into darkened tendrils. Gaines and Hundley, who were in the immediate vicinity of the blast, are also affected and are taken to a Sedran Colonial Guard hospital where Colonel Aiken initially refuses to let the agents in due to his dislike of ONI. However, Locke convinces the colonel to allow the injured operatives to be treated.

While Locke and his team undergo decontamination, reports continue to arrive of infections up to ten kilometers from the blast site. The bioagent, an entirely foreign element, appears to randomly break down human DNA, but does not affect the other species that also inhabit Sedra. Locke theorizes that the remote colony may have been chosen as a target to test the weapon before the terrorists move on to more populous worlds. The Colonial Guard find a colonial tug used to smuggle the element on the planet, but the pilots are nowhere to be found. Colonel Aiken reluctantly agrees to work with the ONI agents to track down the source of the element. Aiken violently interrogates the captured Yonhet, named Axl, about the identity of the tug's pilots. However, Locke, speaking an alien language, manages to persuade Axl to divulge what he knows. The Yonhet reveals that the element originated from a place even Sangheili Zealots avoid, calling it "hell". The Zealots instead buy it from smugglers who are willing to go there.

Tracing the tug's positioning reveals that the vessel obtained the element from a fragment of Installation 04 that was thrown through slipspace during the ring's destruction and ended up orbiting perilously close to a red giant. However, there is no record of the mystery element being previously present on the ring, but Sedran Private Talitha Macer points out that it may have been newly formed in the supernova-level temperatures of the ring's explosion. A scan reveals that the element is found nowhere else in the observable universe. After detecting another tug approaching the ring, ONI opts to land there, capture the smugglers to gain proof of the Covenant breaking their peace treaty with the UNSC, and destroy the deposits of the element with a HAVOK nuclear warhead. The mission is particularly challenging because of the Halo fragment's close orbit to the red giant and its rapid spin around itself; when it faces the star the shard's habitable side undergoes extreme heat that is unbearable for any human. The fragment's environment only experiences survivable temperatures during the sixteen hours of "night" when the habitable side is facing away from the star, forcing the team to complete their mission within this timeframe. Locke contacts Rear Admiral Goodwin who approves the mission. After Colonel Aiken's daughter dies of the infection he and a Sedran Colonial Guard team join Locke's ONI unit and head for the Halo shard on a Condor dropship.

Chapter Two: Sourced from Hell

The second chapter opens with the team's Condor in slipspace on its way to Alpha Shard. During the journey, the ONI agents bicker with the Sedrans while Locke reveals to Private Macer that Colonel Aiken was once a Spartan, showing her a data pad with Aiken's file which includes an image of him in MJOLNIR Mark IV armor. The crew arrive at their destination and land on the Halo's surface. Donning their powered Nightfall armor, the ONI operators jump out of the Condor at a significant height while the Sedrans, with their less sophisticated combat suits, must rappel down. Macer pilots the dropship while most of the others move to secure an Alerian tug seemingly used by the smugglers. The freighter is empty but is accompanied by a compartment used to store horses, as well as hoof prints leading away from the site. The ONI-Sedran Colonial Guard team move to the tracks' direction and come across two smugglers—Arris Le and Haisal Wari—mining the element in a cave. The smugglers attempt to escape but are quickly caught and restrained by the ONI agents.

The group heads back to the Condor for extraction; however, while the dropship is setting down, a large number of Lekgolo appear and begin to swarm all over its airframe, plunging it out of control. Macer is thrown out of the Condor, which then flies off erratically, commandeered by the Lekgolo. More of the worms appear in large gestalt formations, killing the horses and one of the Sedrans. Fast and agile, the Lekgolo begin to pursue the group who escape to a narrow crevice where Locke uses a special appliance to holographically camouflage their position from the aliens, but the aliens ate the camouflage device. Arris is able to reveal that the creatures can sense active technology and movement, prompting the group to shut down the electronics present in their equipment. The Lekgolo examine the group, who avoid detection by remaining completely still. In the end most of the worms leave and the group move out of the crevice. Locke grabs a sole remaining individual Lekgolo and squeezes, killing it.

Chapter Three: Lifeboat Rules

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Second Stories

Every episode of Nightfall includes "Second Story" videos that expand and provide insight on characters and events of the series. The following stories are as followed:

Episode 1:

• Exposure
• The Path of Belief
• RECON-14

Episode 2:

• Soldier Within
• ONI: Unit 54
• ONI: Walk the Path

Production

Conceptual exploration of the Halo fragment which forms the primary setting of Nightfall.

The series had a $10,000,000 (USD) budget, which is considerably larger than Halo 4: Forward Unto Dawn's. 343 Industries also considers the series' scope to be larger and more ambitious than that of Forward Unto Dawn in terms of the characters' interaction with one another as well as their environment, and less time will be spent with the characters in relative safety than in Forward Unto Dawn. The series' driving dynamic is noted as being the ONI operatives' tension with the inhabitants of Sedra when the two are forced to work together in the face of a common threat. Producer Ridley Scott was quick to accept the project when it was first pitched to him as video game tie-in media was still relatively unknown ground to him.

The name Nightfall refers to the circumstances of the main characters' mission aboard the Halo fragment: they are forced to complete their mission in the sixteen hours the fragment's habitable side remains in the "night" side of the star it orbits. The concept of having the main portion of the plot be set on a dying fragment of Alpha Halo came in around halfway to the script's writing process. Director Sergio Mimica-Gezzan wanted the principal setting to act as a "character" in itself that would drive the plot dynamics as well as evolve and change over the course of the story. The idea of having the setting be a fragment of a Halo was initially conceived by Jeremy Patenaude of 343 Industries' franchise team. The team then further refined the concept by deciding which one of the rings the Halo in question would be and how could its nature and location as given in the Nightfall story work in the broader fictional context. The franchise team put consideration into the size and shape of the fragment (including a "forensic analysis" of Installation 04's destruction scene in Halo: Combat Evolved) as well as the logistics of moving the fragment into a different system; the concept of Halos being equipped with an emergency slipspace capability which would place them in a destructive orbit was first introduced in Greg Bear's novel Halo: Primordium.

The first official trailer was released on July 24th, 2014, at San Diego Comic-Con, which stated that Locke's team was tracking down reports of an element that specifically targeted humans on the distant colony of Sedra.

Filming and effects

Nightfall was filmed in Iceland and Ireland. Filming in Belfast, Northern Ireland was reported to have started by early June 2014 and finished as of June 12, 2014, being subsequently continued in Iceland. The scenes set on the colony of Sedra were filmed in Ireland, while Iceland is used to portray the locales of the Halo fragment. Iceland was considered an ideal filming location for the Halo due to the otherworldly and rugged landscapes present there.

The cast and crew faced many difficulties due to the challenging weather conditions of Iceland. While the environment is meant to be uncomfortably hot in the series, the actual temperature was often below freezing as Iceland was experiencing the coldest recorded weather in some time in addition to frequent strong winds and rainstorms. To create the illusion of a hot environment, the cast had fake sweat applied on them which would rapidly freeze, becoming highly uncomfortable for the actors. Cast members falling over was also an everyday occurrence. Due to the hardships they faced the cast and crew would play games, place bets on falling on screen or nominate a "chief of morale" among them to keep their spirits high.

Cast and characters

On May 15, 2014, it was announced that actor Mike Colter is set to star in the feature. Colter will play the main character, Jameson Locke, "a rising star in a futuristic army with reservations about those in command". Locke was known tentatively as "Marlowe" during production. On July 10, 2014, it was announced that actress Christina Chong would play the series' female lead. She will play Talitha Macer, a member of the Sedran Colonial Guard. Many of the roles in the series were rather physically demanding and there was a focus on the actors' fitness and athleticism in the casting process; however, it was noted that some of the cast still had difficulties with these aspects during filming.

• Mike Colter as Jameson Locke
• Christina Chong as Talitha Macer
• Steven Waddington as Randall Aiken
• Luke Neal as Michael Bradley Horrigan
• Alexander Bhat as Alistair Bov Estrin
• Alexis Rodney as Arris Le
• Christian Contreras as Gregory Aio Ramos
• Eric Kofi Abrefa as Haisal Wari
• Jennie Gruner as Samantha Wisner
• Sarah Armstrong as Jordan Gaines
• Shaun Blaney as Mason Hundley

Costumes and props

The Condor transport craft, known tentatively as the "Super Pelican", was created for the series as a Sedran equivalent to the UNSC's more modern dropships. A life-size set was created to portray the craft. The main characters are wearing armor that has been noted by Frank O'Connor as having been developed in Seongnam (the site of the UNSC's Special Warfare Center) and incorporating elements and technology from MJOLNIR, ODST and UNSC Marine armors.

Trailers

Halo: Nightfall First Look

Main article: Halo: Nightfall: First Look

The Halo: Nightfall First Look trailer outlines the premise of the Nightfall story. It was first shown at San Diego Comic-Con 2014.

Halo: Nightfall Behind-the-Scenes

Main article: Halo: Nightfall Behind-the-Scenes

First shown at PAX Prime 2014, the Halo: Nightfall Behind-the-Scenes feature focuses on the main setting of the story, the fragment of Installation 04.

Halo: Nightfall In Cinema First Look

Main article: Halo: Nightfall In Cinema First Look

Released on October 20, 2014, Halo Nightfall In Cinema First Look is a behind-the-scenes video featuring previously-unseen footage as well as commentary by the cast and developers. It also shows the first glimpse into the principal threat in Nightfall.

Halo: Nightfall Trailer

Main article: Halo: Nightfall Official Trailer

Released on October 22, 2014, Halo: Nightfall Trailer is the official trailer of the series.

Appearances

Characters Axl (First appearance) Natalie Aiken (First appearance) Randall Aiken Arris Le (First appearance) Alistair Estrin (First appearance) Best (First appearance) Jordan Gaines (First appearance) Goodwin (First appearance) Haisal Wari (First appearance) Michael Horrigan (First appearance) Mason Hundley (First appearance) Jameson Locke John-117 (Mentioned only) Talitha Macer (First appearance) Gregory Ramos (First appearance) Samantha Wisner (First appearance) Svennson (First appearance) Species Flood (Mentioned only) Forerunner (Technology only) Human Horse Lekgolo Sangheili Yonhet Organizations Unified Earth Government United Nations Space Command UNSC Navy Naval Special Warfare Command SPARTAN-II Program Office of Naval Intelligence Colonial Militia Sedran Colonial Guard (First appearance) Covenant (Mentioned only) Locations Aleria (First mentioned) Ganik 22 (First mentioned) Installation 04 Alpha Shard Orrichon system (First appearance) Sedra (First appearance) Sedran Colonial Guard Hospital (First appearance) Vodin (First mentioned)

Events Human-Covenant War (Mentioned only) Battle of Installation 04 (Indirect mention) Battle of Vodin (First mentioned) Post-Covenant War conflicts Terrorist attack on Sedra City (First appearance) Mission to Alpha Shard (First appearance) Weapons BR85HB battle rifle HAVOK tactical nuclear weapon M395 DMR M40 pistol (First appearance) M6H magnum MA5D assault rifle Type-1 energy sword Vehicles D81-LRT Condor (First appearance) Freighter Bactrian-class freighter (First appearance) Type-25 Spirit UNSC destroyer (Mentioned only) Equipment and Technology Active camouflage Data pad Dog tag Energy shielding Halo Array MJOLNIR Powered Assault Armor MJOLNIR [GEN1] Mark IV Nightfall armor (First appearance) Weapon attachments Flashlight Sangheili combat harness Zealot harness Stasis refrigerant (First appearance)

Gallery

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  Halo: Nightfall first poster

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  Promotional poster for Halo: Nightfall.

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  Agent Locke, portrayed by Mike Colter.

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  Locke, along with two soldiers.

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  Promotional image of Locke's team.

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  First image of the Allerian Tug.

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  The barren landscape of the Alpha Halo fragment.

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  The group crossing a river on the Halo fragment.

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  The group on a cliff aboard the Halo section.

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  The main cast on a hill.

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  Ramos wielding an M395 DMR.

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  Macer, Wisner, Aiken and Locke.

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  Locke and Macer taking cover.

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  Horrigan taking aim with an MA5D assault rifle.

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  Arris Le.

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  Hundley and Gaines in a Sedran city.

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  Wisner and Horrigan.

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  Estrin and Arris.

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  A Sangheili Zealot attacking.

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  A falling Sangheili Zealot wielding an unknown device above a human crowd

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  A Lekgolo swarm.

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  Locke watches a Spirit dropship take off.