Balaho
From Halopedia, the Halo wiki
Template:Planet Balaho is the Unggoy homeworld. It is the fifth planet orbiting the star Tala, a blue supergiant.[1]
Overview
Balaho is a mostly frozen planet with temperatures ranging from -33°C (-27.4 F) to 5°C (41°F). It has two moons, Buwan and Padpad, respectively the primary and secondary satellites.[2] The terrestrial planet has significant amounts of methane in the atmosphere, necessitating that Unggoy wear methane tanks while off-world. This gas prevents much of the world from being seen from orbit.[1][note 1]
The parts of the surface that are not covered by polar ice caps or fresh water are brackish tidal flats where naturally occurring pillars of fire exist. Most of the Unggoy live in this area where the cold season is not as harmful to them. The world is still recovering from an environmental collapse caused by massive global over-industrialization prior to the activation of the Halo Array.[1]
History
Before it was found by the Covenant, Balaho was mostly dominated by Unggoy tribes.[1] The planet was nearly glassed during the Unggoy Rebellion, which led to the species' surrender. The planet was later the site of the Sixteenth Unggoy Disobedience and presumably several other uprisings. After the Human-Covenant War, the Office of Naval Intelligence recorded no off-world transport from Balaho. Buwan appears to have since been abandoned and many Unggoy have been seen in Sangheili systems.[3]
Native species
Sentient
Non-sentient
Trivia
Balaho means "swamp" in Tagalog, a major language in the Philippines. Unggoy means "monkey" in the same language.
Gallery
Balaho, as shown in the Bestiarum.
Ancient Unggoy being reseeded on Balaho by Forerunner machinery.
List of appearances
- Halo: The Flood Template:First mentioned
- Halo 3
- Bestiarum (First appearance)
- Halo: Ghosts of Onyx (Mentioned only)
- Halo: Contact Harvest (Mentioned only)
- Halo Legends
Note
- ^ Methane is a powerful greenhouse gas, about twenty-three times stronger than carbon dioxide, making very effective at insulating atmosphere. As such, it is strange that Balaho is so cold when the planet's atmosphere is composed mainly of methane. The most likely explanation is that Balaho is much farther from Tala than most other habitable planets are from their suns and is warm enough to support life because of its methane atmosphere. This also explains why it had not been engulfed when Tala expanded into a blue supergiant.
Sources
- ^ a b c d Cite error: Invalid
<ref>tag; no text was provided for refs namedBestiarum - ^ Xbox Live's Major Nelson: News From Halo Fest
- ^ Codename: SURGEON's post-war analysis
