Thread: Halo: Ghosts of Onyx Date Inconsistencies

Issue #1

Chapter 4 (2006 and 2019 editions, if not all) lists the arrival of the UNSC Tannenberg to assist the UNSC Circumference in the search for the missing Kurt-051 as occurring on January 13, 2535. It also says that the search and rescue operation for Kurt was called off 322 minutes after the Spartan's internal oxygen supply would have run out, meaning that the Tannenberg must have been searching for Kurt on the same day as his disappearance (which would make sense).

However, Chapter 3 and Chapter 5 make it very clear that the mission where Kurt went missing took place on November 7, 2531. How could the Tannenberg participate in "immediate rescue attempts" in January 2535, over 3 years and 2 months after Kurt's disappearance? These rescue attempts MUST have occurred right after his disappearance on November 7, 2531. Obviously they weren't searching for him for over 3 years, and by that time he was training the Spartan-IIIs. And the mission where he went missing obviously couldn't have taken place years later for the same reason.

Issue #2

Chapter 6 and 7 have major date issues in every edition. Mythos and the Official Spartan Field Manual (OSFM) also have this issue.

The date listed at the start of Chapter 6 in some editions of Ghosts of Onyx is December 27, 2531; this is when the Alpha Company Spartan-III candidates arrive on Onyx to begin training. Mythos and the OSFM corroborate this date. However, in this chapter in every edition of Ghosts of Onyx, Kurt says that he has had SIX months to prepare a training regimen before their arrival. This is impossible because Kurt was only kidnapped by ONI and informed of the new Spartan-III program on December 14, 2531...less than two weeks earlier! The next chapter (Chapter 7) in some editions is dated as January 19, 2532, and it includes mention of Kurt training the candidates, implying that they have already arrived. This would work with the December 27, 2531 start date, but it still doesn't rectify the issue of Kurt saying he had six months to prepare in Chapter 6.

Some editions of Ghosts of Onyx (including the 2019 edition) list Chapter 6's date as December 27, *2532*, a year later than the other editions, Mythos, and the OSFM. This would work with Kurt's statement of having six months to prepare, but it doesn't work with the date of the next chapter. Chapter 7 (2006 and 2019 editions) is dated July 19, 2532 and it includes a mention of how the training is going, meaning that the trainees had already arrived. This is an obvious inconsistency since July 19, 2532 is before December 27, 2532 (when these editions say that the trainees arrived). Clearly a report by Kurt on how the trainees are doing is impossible when they haven't even arrived yet.

As you can see, there are major date issues surrounding the beginning of Spartan-III Alpha Company. Here's a rundown:

> Date of Kurt first being recruited to train the Spartan-IIIs (Chapter 5): December 14, 2531

> Date of Alpha Company start (Chapter 6): December 27, 2531 OR December 27, 2532

[2531 date conflicts with Kurt's statement that he had six months to prepare. 2532 date conflicts with the date in Chapter 7.]

> Date of ONI report discussing how the training is going (Chapter 7): January 29, 2532 OR July 19, 2532

[January date works with December 27, 2531 start date, but doesn't fix the "six month preparation" issue. And it doesn't work with 2532 start date. July date works with 2531 start date as well, but doesn't work with 2532 start date.]

My recommended date fix: Move Alpha Company start date (in Chapter 6) to some time in May or June 2532. This would allow Kurt his six months to prepare and would also allow him about a month to begin training and give a report on their progress by July 19, 2532 (in Chapter 7).