Captain (Covenant)

A standard Jiralhanae Captain with a leader power armor.

Captain is a command military rank for warriors serving in the armed forces of the Covenant empire and its remnants. Although it was held by other species such as Yanme'e and Mgalekgolo, the role has been most-widely adopted and known as a Jiralhanae title.

Overview

Covenant Captains are seasoned veteran warriors, and are more heavily armed and armored than standard infantry.^[1] Captains are commands groups of infantry. They will hold their ground more often, making them far more effective killing machines. Their combat effectiveness is due to their superior experience in the field and the heavy weapons they carry.^{[citation needed]}

Ranks and organisation

Captain-class warriors, at least for the Jiralhanae and Yanme'e, have their own internal ranking structure, with status denoted by the colour of a given individual's battle harness.

By species

Sangheili

Several Sangheili held Platoon Captain and Wraith Captain roles within the Spartan-IVs' Warzone simulations after the Human-Covenant War, to which they are seemingly sub-ranks related to the Captain role.^[2] The Wraith Captain is most likely the title below Tankmaster and above the Wraith Officer. In the Warzone simulation, Re'gish Wamik held the Captain role and piloted a D'nomlhe-pattern Banshee, despite his higher Field Master title during the Human-Covenant War.^[2]

Jiralhanae

Jiralhanae Captains are seasoned veteran Jiralhanae, and are more heavily armed and armored than standard Jiralhanae infantry.^[1] They are smarter and significantly tougher than their lesser brethren.^{[citation needed]} Jiralhanae captains in the Banished operate with a higher level of autonomy than their Covenant counterparts. They often lead large numbers of troops and perform specific missions that smaller warrior-led groups would not be entrusted with. Like in a typical Jiralhanae clan, Banished Jiralhanae captains serve directly under a chieftain. Many ambitious captains keep their eyes on the chieftain's position and are always looking for opportunities to overthrow their leaders. The very best Jiralhanae captains in the Banished are elevated to the position of Warlord. Chosen captains will typically command the Elite of a given clan or Legion.^[3]

Like most Jiralhanae armors prior to the Great Schism, Captains wore standard partial body armor rather than a full-body armor, although based on different skeins; Rh'tol Captains were identified by a small holographic red flag attached to their harnesses extending from their back, while Vheiloth Captains wore rather a gold helmet and more resilent armor than their Rh'tol counterparts.^[4]^[5] During the Schism after the Jiralhanae were given elevated status in the Covenant military, they were issued with iridescent leader power armor, equipped with energy shields.^[6] Jiralhanae Captains serving within the Banished are equipped with a red energy field, along with a helmet and full body armor with a jump pack that helps them maneuver around the battlefield.^[7]

The standard and iconic armament of the Jiralhanae Captain is the Type-25 Brute Shot and it is almost exclusively wielded by Captains. Captains are considered to experts at wielding the Brute shot.^[1] Some were seen to handle different weapons, such as gravity hammers.^[8]

Rh'tol Jiralhanae Captain with a leader Rh'tol armor.
Vheiloth Jiralhanae Captain with a leader Vheiloth armor.
Banished Jiralhanae Captain with another leader power armor.

Regular Captain

"Brute military doctrine states that to lead, one must be seen."

— Jiralhanae Captain's mantra^[9]

The regular Jiralhanae Captain is a low-tier command rank and the lowest of the three known Jiralhanae captain ranks. It is subordinate to higher-ranking Captain Majors and Chieftains. During the Schism, they were issued with iridescent purple-red power armor, equipped with energy shields.^[6]

Regular Jiralhanae Captain with a leader power armor.

Captain Major

"To be effective, officers need to inspire fear and respect."

— Jiralhanae Captain Major's mantra

Higher-ranking Jiralhanae Captain Major wear golden power armor. They are the second-highest Jiralhanae Captain rank, though they are deployed more often than the other captain ranks.^[1] Captain Majors often lead lower-ranking Jiralhanae, as well as lances of Kig-Yar and Unggoy. A Jiralhanae Captain is promoted to the rank of Captain Major for his ability to rally and inspire other Covenant forces, although the inspiration usually is due to physical threats. Their armor is much more resilient than that of standard Jiralhanae Captains.^[1] Jiralhanae Captain Majors can be seen commanding troops on the Deutoros-pattern Scarab walkers.^[6] The leader power armor of a Jiralhanae Captain Major is bright gold, making them easily recognizable.^[6] A Captain Major's shields are significantly stronger than that of lower-ranking Jiralhanae.^[1]

A Jiralhanae Captain Major

Captain Ultra

Captain Ultra is the third highest attainable rank a Jiralhanae can achieve,^[10] next to Honor Guardsman and Chieftains. Captain Ultra is the highest Captain rank in the Jiralhanae ranking system.^[1] They seem to be the Jiralhanae equivalent to a Lieutenant Colonel or Commander as well as a Sangheili Ultra and can command larger packs than their lesser ranks.^{[citation needed]} They are stronger and more experienced than other Jiralhanae infantry and Captain ranks. Jiralhanae Captain Ultras are trained to be immensely strong and agile.^[1] On the battlefield, Captain Ultras are often in command of Jiralhanae packs and files or lances that are made up of lower-ranking species like Kig-Yar or Unggoy.^[6]

Captain Ultras wear cyan leader power armor, which signifies higher rank than the gold Captain Majors.^[11] The armor offers very high resistance from most weapons to protect its user.^[1] Captain Ultras are armed with a wide assortment of weapons.^[6]

A Jiralhanae Captain Ultra

Yanme'e

Yanme'e Captains^[12] are one of the highest castes of the Yanme'e infantry. They can be denoted by their red-coloured carapace and - unusual for Yanme'e - energy shielding.^[12]

A Yanme'e Captain

Main article: Yanme'e Hiveward

Among the typical Covenant rank scheme, Yanme'e Hivewards hold the rank of Captain Major,^[13] and are the highest rated Yanme'e protector caste and have one of the highest Yanme'e military ranks in the Covenant military.^[14]

A Yanme'e Hiveward/Captain Major

Mgalekgolo

"The Captains themselves exhibit individual peculiarities and attitudes, though none could be said to be personable."

— Jeff Easterling on Mgalekgolo Captains.^[15]

Within the Banished, Mgalekgolo Captains are "officers" deployed by "Colony" to locations which require more direct involvement and supervision. Captains make sure Lekgolo colonies and gestalts operate at full efficiency during battles. Each Captain is linked directly to "Colony" and its distant bond-brother over a specially modified battlenet relay, often going into battle without its bond-brother.^[15] Unlike other Mgalekgolo, Captains are equipped with energy shielding, making them perhaps the strongest known Mgalekgolo warriors.^[16]

A Mgalekgolo Captain.

Known Captains

In-game information

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Production notes

A red-colored Jiralhanae Captain as it appears in the early development of Halo 3.

In the early development of Halo 3, crimson-colored Jiralhanae Captains were originally going to be used for this position, but were scrapped and replaced with violet coloring during production of Halo 3 and later in the final game for unknown reasons. A render of a red-colored Brute leader can be found in the Halo 3 Instruction Manual and the Bestiarum, and the design used in the form of Lepidus in Halo: Uprising. Tartarus also wore this armor before becoming Chieftain following the First Battle of Harvest.

Jiralhanae Captains assigned to the Banished wear red-colored power armor in Halo Infinite.^[7]

Gallery

Jiralhanae

A Rh'tol Captain in Halo 2 wear blue armor and helmets with a red flag on their back.
A Rh'tol Jiralhanae Captain going berserk in Halo 2.
A red-colored Jiralhanae Captain in the Halo 3 Instruction Manual and Bestiarum.
A Jiralhanae Captain in Halo 3.
A Jiralhanae Captain in Halo 3: ODST.
A Jiralhanae Captain wielding a Type-25 plasma pistol to the right of the picture during the Battle of Kholo in The Return.
A Vheiloth Jiralhanae Captain throwing a plasma grenade during the Siege of New Alexandria.
Patterns on the Vheiloth's captain armor in Halo: Reach.
H2A - Jiralhanae Captain model.jpg

A model of a Rh'tol Captain for Halo 2: Anniversary.
A Rh'tol Jiralhanae Captain on Installation 05 in Halo 2: Anniversary.
Tartarus (far right) wearing a Leader power armor during the First Battle of Harvest.
Concept art of the Banished Jiralhanae Captain for Halo Infinite.
A Banished Jiralhanae Captain on Installation 07 in Halo Infinite.
A Banished Jiralhanae Captain with Jiralhanae Warriors.
A Captain with a MLRS-2 Hydra.
The Brute Rock backdrop in multiplayer feaures a Banished Brute Captain.

Gold Armour of a Jiralhanae Captain Major.
A Jiralhanae Captain Major holding Reynolds.
A Jiralhanae Captain Major on the level Sierra 117.
A Jiralhanae Captain Major seen in Halo 3: ODST on the campaign level Uplift Reserve.
A Captain Major standing with his weapon on his back in Halo 3.
A Captain Major engaging with a Sangheili during the Great Schism.
A Captain Major during the Battle of Ealen IV.
A Sangheili and Captain Major locked together in combat.