User:TheLostJedi
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Welcome to my userpage. You can find me about the site mostly contributing to talk pages, uploading images or making minor edits, although ocasionally I do make main edits.
Favourite Video Games
- (Mario series) Super Mario World
- (Bond series) 007: Agent Under Fire
- (Sonic series) Sonic Adventure 2: Battle
- (Star Wars series) Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic
- (Halo series) Halo 2
- (Shock series) BioShock
The Great Sangheili Reformation: An Analysis of Elite Ranks
Stand First
Editing is often like the principle of learning mathematics; you slowly build and build upon what you have already accomplished. Sometimes though, we've just gotta start all over again. This is the case with our current archiving of Sangheili ranks. For those who don't want a long read, a summary of my analysis exists in the image tables that I've uploaded (I've used a posterized, white Elite for instances where a good quality, cropped image wasn't available). Otherwise, read on, because I intend to reference every rank and title and my subsequent categorizing of them with full sourcing. And if I can't find a source for something, then I will make a point of it.
Terminology of Lower-Echelon Ranks
I'll start with the basics of Minor, Major and Ultra by addressing what I'm certain is basic, in-universe nomenclature for the ranks. I'm not sure how this fad of "Major Officers" as a sub-class came about, but in both Bungie's Halo: Reach and 343 Industries' Halo: Combat Evolved Anniversary, it is clear that Elite Majors and Officers are one and the same. This conclusion can be drawn by the apparent lack of regular Majors in the former, in tandem with the visual substitution of 2001 model Majors with 2011 model Majors in the latter video game.
It is my speculation that the usage of the word Officer was only favoured due to the simple nature of marketing. As the armour of the Elite Majors in Halo: Reach was being offered as a video game exclusive, a logically appealing name was required in order to generate interest for it and ultimately boost sales. Therefore the nomenclature of Officer, borrowed from Special Operations Officer as seen in Halo: The Flood, was used.
Another noteworthy instance of Elite Majors, which strengthens the connection between Majors and Officers as a singular intermediate-echelon of enemy, exists in Halo 3. Whenever Sangheili Majors are present, they are depicted in various shades of red, yet it would be ludicrous to argue that they are different ranks. A similar relationship can be identified in regard to the "regular-class of Majors" seen prior to Halo: Reach and the "Officer sub-class" observed thereafter.
The Halo trilogy has even shown that across games, exact colour of armour associated with particular ranks can change. In Halo: Reach, Bungie gave the Elites a new plethora of armour styles to identify them. As it happened, the Elite Major's red armour was given an orange tint. Possibly to make it easier to distinguish the new Zealots, which are of a similar red hue to that of previous Combat Evolved era Majors.
If the term Officer is synonymous to the term Major, then Trooper can likewise be synonymous to Minor. Which is supported by the usage of the word Trooper as a term for lower-echelon infantry in Spec Ops ranks. What's interesting now if we look back to Spec Ops ranks and their present terminology of Trooper and Officer, is that in essence, they are the Elite Minor and Elite Major of the Special Operations. Although not the most confounding notion, it adds to the concept of interchangeability between Minor with Trooper and Major with Officer.
I must digress though, because unless the word Trooper came from a game, strategy guide, novel, an online field guide, Halo Waypoint or any other creditable source, it would appear that Trooper was a term created by Halopedians. In militaristic terms it is of course very befitting, but at the same time unfortunately, it is not at all official. If anyone can source usage of the word Trooper for lower-echelon infantry, please message me. I presume we use the term Trooper on the wikia for a good reason, but I'd feel better if there was proper citation for it.
Now for some actual speculation; I'd like to consider the possible connection between the term Commander and Elite Ultras. The only example of a Commander which I'm aware of in the Halo series, is the Special Operations Commander Rtas 'Vadumee, of Halo 2 and Halo 3 fame. The obvious link is the colour of the two ranks' armour. Both are white. Due to this similarity and the fact that both Elite Ultra and the Spec Ops Commander are upper-echelon ranks in their respective orders, it may be possible that the nomenclature of Commander can be used as another term for white armoured Elites in-universe, in the same way that the word Ultra is used across orders to describe the typical Sangheili Ultra and the Lights of Sanghelios Honour Guardsman.
This is not to suggest that their authority is the same however. Special Operations Commanders typically command all Special Operations forces within a Covenant fleet, as sourced by Halo: The Essential Visual Guide, the Halo 2: The Official Strategy Guide and Halo 3 Essentials content, the Making of Halo 3. The same level of command could not be said about Elite Ultras and all of the conventional military forces within a Covenant fleet. Yet it should be noted that common rank diction doesn't bare the same authority across all military ranks. In spite of being a different species, Brute Majors are perhaps the best example as there are three Brute Major ranks, all with varying command status; Brute Major, Brute Captain Major and the Brute Jump Pack Major. The monkier of Major is the same, but their role and level of authority is different. Therefore Commander as a term for Ultras is a possibility, despite the more serious role of an Elite Special Operations Commander. Unfortunately though, this is solely conjecture unless evidence can be shown.
Standard Military Ranks
But to get anywhere it's time to lay terminology and conjecture aside and focus on which ranks we know are actually certain within the series. Let me begin with standard military ranks.
At the bottom of the table is the Elite Minor. Whilst they may command other Covenant races, they are the lowest of the Sangheili ranks. Minor armour has consistently been blue, whilst they regularly don the standard Sangheili Combat harness. Above them exists the Elite Major, whom are some of the most skilled and experienced warriors in the field. They typically command lances of fewer than a dozen soldiers, including Elite Minors, verified by the Halo: CEA Library. Like the colour of the Minor Sangheili harness, Major armour has also been consistent with the colour of red. Although recently they have been shown to sport the Officer armour, as opposed to the regular Combat harness, witnessed within Halo: Reach and Halo: Combat Evolved Anniversary.
The Elite Ultra and what I will call for now, the golden Elites, wore standard Combat harnesses like their other brethren before Halo: Reach. Since then Ultras have been given more menacing and concealing armour, with subtle crimson markings and a moderate headdress. But their role has remained the same; commanding specific operations and leading others in the field during Covenant engagements, being ranked above both Sangheili Minors and Majors. For the purpose of analysing the golden Elite Zealot in a later section, I'm going to solely identify the golden Elite General from Halo: Reach for now. Generals wear ornate golden armour with a large curved helmet, an angular harness and bulky shoulder pauldrons, all featuring ornamental, glowing patterns. They have been seen to command large groups of infantry and vehicles during ground engagements, but have also been in command of space faring ships, such as the Ardent Prayer in the Long Night of Solace campaign level.
Finally, the Imperial Admiral is the last rank in the standard Sangheilian military which we know for certain is an actual rank. Xytan 'Jar Wattinree is the only Elite known to have occupied this rank, as a result it is likely that the position is very unique and rare. In Halo: Ghosts of Onyx, the novel in which he appears, the Imperial Admiral is revealed to control incredibly large fleets of warships. They are requested to be tactically excellent and hold great influence over the troops they command. Armour of the Imperial Admiral is silver and covered with golden Forerunner glyphs of Sacred Mystery, much like the Arbiter's. They wear a bold, ceremonial headdress much alike other high ranking members of the Covenant.
Military Titles
Now this is where things get interesting. Based on numerous sources which I will list with due dilligence, there are military positions which have been observed across several different ranks. The most common of these is the Ship Master; also seen as one word Shipmaster. In Halo: Ghosts of Onyx Voro 'Mantakree is seen to become a Ship Master of the Incorruptible as low a rank as a Sangheili Major. Special Operations Commander, Rtas 'Vadum served as the Ship Master of the Shadow of Intent in Halo 3, and gave this role to Arbiter Thel 'Vadam by the end of the video game. During his previous command of the Fleet of Particular Justice, Thel 'Vadumee, then an Elite Zealot, served as the Ship Master of the Seeker of Truth, shown in the Halo Graphic Novel. Lat 'Ravamee, another Elite Zealot was the Ship Master of the Truth and Reconciliation from Halo: Combat Evolved. Ardo 'Moretumee, an Elite General, was the Ship Master of the Ardent Prayer in Halo: Reach. And Xytan 'Jar Wattinree was the Ship Master of the Sublime Transcendence from Halo: Ghosts of Onyx.
This proves that the position of Ship Master can not only be held between different echelons of ranks, but that it can also be shared between different orders, considering that both a Major from conventional ranks and a Special Operations Commander from Spec Ops ranks have been depicted in the role. Not only this, but due to the existence of Elite Zealots such as Thel 'Vadamee and Lat 'Ravamee as Ship Masters, the position is also shared between Covenant ministries; the Ministry of Resolution and the Ministry of Fervent Intercession. What really adds credence to the concept of Ship Master as a title rather than a rank though, is that other Covenant races have been seen in the role. Such as Brute Captain, Lepidus of the CCS-class battlecruiser Triumphant Declaration in Halo: Uprising, and the Jackal Ship Mistress of the Minor Transgression, Chur'R-Yar, shown in Halo: Contact Harvest.
Fleet Master is another position held by various Elite ranks. Rtas 'Vadum, a Spec Ops Commander and Thel 'Vadam, an Arbiter, served the Fleet Master of the Fleet of Retribution respectively in Halo 3. An Unidentified Sangheili Ship Master whom was either an Elite Ultra or another Special Operations Commander had lead the Fleet of Righteous Vigilance in the Halo: Evolutions story The Return. Whether Voro Nar 'Mantakree remained a Major after he was granted the title of Fleet Master by Xytan 'Jar Wattinree in Halo: Ghosts of Onyx, or whether his actual rank consequently became higher, 'Mantakree is yet another example of a Sangheili who is from a different order of promotion than Rtas 'Vadum. So it can be concluded that like Ship Master, the Fleet Master is not a title or position that is specific to a certain rank.
The Supreme Commander has been observed far less predominantly due to its higher purpose within the Covenant Navy. As a result only Thel 'Vadamee of the Fleet of Particular Justice from Halo 2, and Luro 'Taralumee of Third Fleet of Glorious Consequence from the Halo Legends episode, The Package have been identified in the role. Both appear to be golden Elite Zealots, and because golden Elite Zealots have also been shown to hold what has been identified certaintly a title; Ship Master, then it's quite logical that Supreme Commander is also a title. Since Supreme Commander is in essence, an elevated form of the Fleet Master, and because of the fact that a significant variety of different ranks, as listed above have been shown to hold other naval titles; Ship Master and Fleet Master, it is my presumption that other high-end Sangheili ranks, could also be granted the naval title of Supreme Commander.
Excusing Avu Med 'Telcam from Halo: Glasslands, whose armour specifics are not certain, the only other officially known Field Masters are Noga 'Putumee from Halo: The Flood and Re'gish Wamik from Halo Wars, which appear to have been golden Elite Zealots. This may mean that Field Master is a title which can only be granted to such golden Zealots. However the nature of the description of Field Master itself as a commander of large forces of battalion strength, is heavily suggestive that Elite Generals would also assume the role.
The difference between actual ranks and titles is that rank explicitly denotes the armour specification of an Elite. Thel 'Vadamee as a Supreme Commander, and Lat 'Ravamee as a Ship Master wore a golden Combat harness because they were both Zealots. Noble Six's identification of a particular shield strength associated with the Zealot-class in the end level cutscene of ONI: Sword Base from Halo: Reach goes further to evidence this. This does not automatically mean that titles hold no authority though.
In fact, throughout the Halo series, military titles are shown to uphold a certain decree of prestiege. The level of authority maintained by high ranking Elites seems dependent on their title. And often prestigious titles replace the need to formally specify an Elite's rank, meaning that a Supreme Commander who is a Zealot, or a Ship Master who is an Ultra or a General, is identified by their title alone, instead of rank. More than one title can be held at a time, as evidenced by Ship Masters who are also Fleet Masters or Supreme Commanders, yet the title with higher merit is usually used to denote their authority. I said usually, because of note; despite being a Fleet Master, Rtas 'Vadum was often referred to as a Ship Master.
Ministry of Fervent Intercession
For almost a decade, only one class of Zealot has been known; the golden Elite Zealots which made their first appearance in Halo: Combat Evolved and Halo 2. When Halo: Reach was released it was met with controversy at first, due to a lack of explanation for the appearance of a new maroon coloured class of Zealot. Since then an expansion of canon has revolutionized our perception of the rank.
Halo: The Essential Visual Guide introduced new ministries to the Halo lore. Unlike standard military ranks such as the Elite Minor, Major and Ultra which pertain to the Ministry of Resolution, Elite Zealots are now known to be affiliated with the Ministry of Fervent Intercession, a branch of Covenant which through this relation deals with securing Forerunner reliquaries. Furthermore information released in the Halo: Combat Evolved Anniversary Library entry for Zealots confirms that both golden Elite Zealots from the games of the original trilogy and the maroon Zealots from Halo: Reach simultaneously serve this ministry.
It should be noted through observation however that the way these two Zealot classes operate in the Human-Covenant War is slightly different.
The maroon class of Zealots more often function in squads, as seen from the Halo: Reach campaign levels Winter Contingency, The Pillar of Autumn and Lone Wolf. The Zealot featured in the level Tip of the Spear is unusually on his own. However Dr. Halsey, through her divulgation of ONI intelligence, acknowledges the standard operation of these Zealots, in squads, at the end of the campaign level ONI: Sword Base. Maroon coloured Zealots wear what has now become the common armour variation for Elite Zealots in the Halo video game series; an ornamental helmet, gauntlets, thighs and harness, with dual-spoked shoulder pauldrons and prominent amethyst-blue lights.
In addition to this form of Zealot, Halo: Reach debuts another new class, the Field Marshal, which hold command over Zealot squads. Sangheili Field Marshals wear an almost identical set of armour to other maroon coloured Zealots, however with exception to a pair of horns on their helmets and more angular shoulder pauldrons, which are the same shape and design of the Elite General, but with Zealot coloured amethyst-blue lights.
The famous golden class of Elite Zealots have been depicted in standard Combat harnesses for the majority of the Halo franchise, just like most other Sangheili had been before Bungie's expansion of armour in Halo: Reach. Halo: Combat Evolved Anniversary asserts golden Elite Zealots' status among other Elites of the Ministry of Fervent Intercession though, by placing them in the same suit of ornamental armour as their maroon Zealot cousins. In their new armour, the golden Elite Zealots continue to be coloured gold, whilst they retain the amethyst-blue lights of the other Zealot ranks.
Golden Elite Zealots have been shown to act more independently than maroon coloured squads. They are very rarely seen in proximity to other golden Zealots and whilst they may sometimes be complemented by other Covenant lances, they do not hesitate to engage the enemy on their own. Although maroon coloured Zealots and Field Marshals appear to operate without an abiding relation to the main Covenant military force, their golden brethren seem to have a more cohesive relation, based on the fact that golden Elite Zealots have been shown to participate with military titles, including Field Master, Ship Master and Supreme Commander.
Fleet Security
Fleet Security was lightly touched on in an announcement for 4-player co-operative in Halo 3 (http://www.bungie.net/News/content.aspx?type=topnews&link=thesoundofsack) and in the novel Halo: Ghosts of Onyx. But it was not until Halo: The Essential Visual Guide and the Halo: Combat Evolved Anniversary library entry for the Stealth Elite, that this institution was properly fleshed out among other military organizations. Fleet Security is now recognised as a subsection of the Covenant Special Warfare Group and includes a variety of divisions, such as the Rangers, Stealth Sangheili and the notable Ossoona sub-class.
Stealth Sangheili were the first specialty class observed in a Halo video game. For a short while it was thought that there were two ranks for this type of Sangheili; a Stealth Minor and a Stealth Major. I remember at the time that this was because of apparent coding in Halo: Combat Evolved, the platform for their first appearance, where reference tags had named both ranks. Not long after this the difference between the Elite Stealth's appearance and the addition of shields between Halo: Combat Evolved and Halo 2 went further to convolute perception that there were two Stealth ranks. But official sources including the Halo: CEA Library entry for the Stealth Sangheili and the Halo 2: The Official Strategy Guide have never acknowledged the existence of the Stealth Major. In other words; it can be incurred that the armour and equipment of the Stealth class has just changed over time.
In Halo: Combat Evolved the Stealth Sangheili wore a simple grey version of the standard Elite Combat harness. Although they lacked energy shields, the utilization of active camouflage granted them a fiendish upper hand in battle. The key difference between Stealth Sangheili and the Special Operations Sangheili seen in later media, is that Spec Ops phase in and out of cover when they please whilst Stealth Elites are permanently cloaked. This trait continued when Stealth Sangheili reappeared in Halo 2, however they now wore a brown version of the Combat harness and were equipped with shields. The Stealth Elites of Halo: Combat Evolved Anniversary were remastered in a grey variant of the Spec Ops armour seen in Halo: Reach, an inclination that this suit is issued to both subsections of the Special Warfare Group.
Ossoona was a temporary rank which made its sole appearance in Halo: The Flood and means "Eye of the Prophet" in the Covenant language. It was confirmed by the Halo: CEA Library feature to be a sub-class of the Stealth Sangheili. Unlike traditional military promotion, the position of Ossoona is bestowed by the Prophets to selected individuals. The Ossoona were equipped with active camouflage and recording devices in order to peform espionage missions to acquire intelligence on the enemies of the Covenant. To this end, they were primarily in non-combat assignments which most Sangheili felt carried little honour. In case of discovery, they had been granted energy shielding and were usually armed with a Plasma Pistol and Plasma grenades. Specifics for their armour remain unknown.
The Elite Ranger made its initial appearance in Halo: The Fall of Reach but was first offered as a video game, enemy combatant in Halo 2, where outside of novelized canon, they were the first unit to receive an armour design which was specific to rank. Elite Rangers wore a light coloured, cyan harness, sealed for airless, vacuumed environments and were equipped with an anti-gravity pack that provided the user with unparalleled mobility through the air. In Halo: Bloodline, usage of this armour by Major Reff 'Talamee and Zealot Thon 'Talamee reveals that Ranger equipment can be borrowed by other ranks. While no longer a member of the Covenant, Heretic Leader Sesa 'Refumee serves as another instance.
When Elite Rangers resurfaced in Halo: Reach it verified the usage of at least two different armour variants employed by the Ranger corps, which were suggested by the differences presented in Elite Ranger armour between Halo 2 and Halo: The Fall of Reach. A white environmental suit, also sealed for space and more akin to the one described in the novel had appeared. Interestingly, Rangers in Halo: Reach did not always equip a mode of flight during combat, and when they did, the device used was different to the anti-gravity pack as previously seen. Halo: Reach multiplayer demonstrates that the jet propulsion system used by these new Elite Rangers can be used non-conformistly, however most simply use it in a fashion similar to the Brute Jump Packs from Halo 3.
Despite some striking similarities to both the Assault and Flight harnesses featured in Halo 3 as selectable armour permutations, the in-game descriptions of these suits make it explicitly clear that neither one of them are used by the Elite Rangers. The Assault harness was a pre-Covenant set of armour. Since the Sangheili were inducted to the Covenant, it was denied usage by an "illegitimate treaty" with the Prophets. Years later it would be issued once again, after the Elites had gained independence during the Great Schism. The Flight harness meanwhile, was constructed specifically for pilots, with a sealed helmet, a hyper-wave link for cleaner craft interaction and deltoid protection designed to subdue impact on the range of motion in the cramped crew areas of subliminal military craft. There should be no side-stepping around this blatent piece of canon.
Special Operations
Covenant Special Operations is the other subsection of the Special Warfare Group and have appeared prominently in the Halo series. Personnel within this group are regarded as some of the most skilled warriors of the Covenant military, sent in to accomplish the most covert and dangerous operations. Ranks for the Special Operations span across both the Unggoy and Sangheili species, but while there is only one Grunt rank, three have been identified for the Elites.
Unfortunately no visual distinctions can be made between the armour of a regular Special Operations Elite and that of a Special Operations Officer thus far; this is because the armour used by Special Operations has changed as a whole across each video game title of the series. In Halo: Combat Evolved all of the Special Operations that were featured wore a jet-black version of the traditional Combat harness. In Halo 2 and Halo 3 their respective Combat and Assault harnesses were again dark, but with a pearlescent-purple shade. And when the unit finally returned in Halo: Reach it was with a dim brown-maroon hue, albeit in the new Spec Ops armour permutation, which the jet-black Special Operations Sangheili from Halo: Combat Evolved Anniversary have now likewise been outfitted in.
Interestingly the Special Operations Officers that have appeared in media which was released in proximity to the games have also conformed to this unity. Both Huki 'Umamee and Zuka 'Zamamee, who appeared in Halo: The Flood, wore jet-black armour the same as the rest of the Special Operations Elites from Halo: Combat Evolved. And Bero 'Kusovai sported dark armour with a slight pearlescent-purple shade when he appeared in the Halo Graphic Novel story, The Last Voyage of the Infinite Succor, the same as the Special Operations Elites from Halo 2. Therefore even outside of the games, it would appear that there is currently no colour distinction between regular Spec Ops Sangheili and Officers. Yet the authority that they have is very different. As Halo: The Flood reveals, the Spec Ops Officer has a fairly large amount of military authority, with the ability to not only lead a squad of lower ranked Special Operations forces, but also acquisition operations and have appointed assistants.
(much more to come).
Completed Campaigns
Solo
- Halo: CE on Legendary
- Halo 2 on Legendary
- Halo 3: ODST on Legendary
- Halo 3 on Legendary
- Floodgate on Mythic
- Halo on Mythic
- Halo: Reach on Legendary
Cooperative
- Halo: CE on Legendary
- Halo 2 on Legendary
- Halo 3: ODST on Legendary
- Halo 3 on Legendary
- Halo: Reach on Legendary
- Winter Contingency on Mythic
- ONI: Sword Base on Mythic
- Tip of the Spear on Mythic
- Long Night of Solace on Mythic
- Exodus on Mythic
- New Alexandria on Mythic
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