The Commissioning

The Commissioning is a live-action trailer for Halo 4 that was released on June 5, 2012 at E3. An extended cut was shown in the 2012 San Diego Comic-Con Halo 4 panel.^[1] It depicts the launch and early mission of the UNSC Infinity, the first almost-purely exploratory ship the UNSC has built in over a generation. The cinematic proper is 1:40 minutes long, though an in-game trailer begins around the 2:00 mark in the video.

Transcript

A city on Earth. The UNSC Infinity and a Vindication-class light battleship hover above the city. Several ranks of United Nations Space Command personnel line the flight deck in front of a podium. A UNSC dignitary is addressing the crowd. Behind him stand six officers in full ceremonial dress, including Infinity's commanding officer, Captain Andrew Del Rio.^[2]

Dignitary: "It's been four years since the end of the war. And today we send forth a vessel designed for battle, but now re-purposed. For peace."

The Infinity's crew attends the ship's commissioning ceremony.

The scene switches to space, near the Forerunner shield world Requiem. The Infinity and an escort of Paris-class heavy frigates and Broadsword starfighters approaches the planet. Captain Del Rio stands at the view port on the bridge, watching the looming planet intently.

Bridge Officer: "Captain!"

Del Rio walks toward the back of the bridge, to an officer rapidly tapping at the keyboard of a holotank displaying a schematic of the Infinity.

Dignitary (voiceover): "Home to seventeen thousand of our best. Our brightest."

The hologram begins to flicker erratically. Del Rio looks at it, bemused. The stern of the holographic ship begins to flash red, and an exploded view of ship components moves forward. The scene switches back to Earth.

Dignitary: "This - is the culmination of human achievement."

On board the Infinity, a woman is talking with her son over a video call. The screen becomes distorted and then ceases to function completely, displaying only the Didact's symbol as an orange glow begins to sweep through the ship. The glow moves through the entire ship, finally exiting the bridge. Power to all systems is lost. The opening on the planet's surface begins to glow a brilliant white, as Captain Del Rio turns to face it.

Cut to a brief shot of a young soldier's face at the ceremony, then back to the Infinity.

Andrew Del Rio: "All engines! Reverse thrust!"

The Infinity's engines fail as the ship is pulled into the bowels of Requiem.

The ship is pulled inexorably toward Requiem. The effect is felt throughout the ship. Debris and people inside the ship are pulled toward the bow of the ship. A soldier's dog tags are pulled almost horizontally, completely countering gravity. A soldier runs down a corridor, fleeing an explosion. The ship lists dangerously, causing parked vehicles to crash into the walls of their hangar.

Dignitary (voiceover): "For the first time in a generation..."

Two men fall down a depressurizing shaft, and are then launched the other way by an explosion. As crewmen are tossed about the bridge, the Didact's symbol can be seen on computer monitors in the background. The scene cuts briefly to Earth, before returning to the chaos aboard the Infinity.

Dignitary (voiceover): "We commission a UNSC starship, meant not to wage war, but to peacefully advance the cause of mankind. Through the discovery of new worlds."

The Infinity plunges toward the planet as its engines and electrical system begin to fail. Many crewmembers are shown with terrified expressions, some screaming and covering their ears, as if trying to block out an unbearable noise. Captain Del Rio attempts to send out a transmission, but sounds of people screaming as well as static jumble up his transmission.

Andrew Del Rio (COM): "Mayday, mayday! This is the captain of the UNSC Infinity. Requesting immediate assistance."

Cuts to black.

Director's Cut: John-117, wielding an MA5D assault rifle and standing on a mountain inside Requiem, looks up and sees the UNSC Infinity emerging from the clouds.

The Didact's icon is shown, glowing orange and slowly spinning.
AN ANCIENT EVIL AWAKENS

The icon pulses with bright orange light. Cuts to black.
HALO 4

Production notes

According to concept artist Jonathan Bach, The Commissioning was originally to have a scene in which John-117 would climb up a rock to watch Infinity's arrival on Requiem - an alternate take on the scene present in the final game at the start of the level Infinity. In the sequence, the camera would have closed-in on John's visor to see the ship crashing and breaking up in its reflection.^[3]

Bach also concepted a scene in which a "young native boy" finds and touches some ancient, buried, Forerunner technology. It is unclear how this would have related to the rest of the trailer.^[3]

Trivia

One of the crewmen who is sucked out of the Infinity by explosive decompression is named in reference to Kiki Wolfkill, an executive producer at 343 Industries. Another crewmember who is given a split-second close-up shot, Isaiah Cameron, was later heavily featured in the 2022 novel Halo: The Rubicon Protocol.

Gallery

Development images

Concept art of one of the rooms on the Infinity.
Concept art of a common room on the Infinity.
A more detailed look at the individual parts of the previous room.
An early storyboard of the commercial.
The Infinity, holding position above the city.
The Infinity's naval complement at their ship's commissioning.
Concept artwork of the Infinity's interior.
An explosion incapacitates several crewmen as the Infinity is pulled into Requiem.
John-117 observes as debris from the Infinity crashes into the jungle behind him.
An unidentified woman discovering long-lost Forerunner ruins.
A matte painting of a corridor on the Infinity used as the background of a scene in the trailer.
A matte painting of Requiem used in one of the scenes.

Cinematic

The Infinity, hovering above a human metropolis.
The dignitary addresses the crowd.
Two Infinity crewmen standing at attention; crewman Cameron (right) was later heavily featured in The Rubicon Protocol.
Captain Del Rio watches as the Infinity approaches Requiem.
The Infinity's bridge.
Two Mammoths crash against their hangar's hull as the Infinity lists.
Crewman Wolfkill.