There is one reason and primarily one reason only why fans were excited at the idea of a Halo TV show: Master Chief. He is one of the most iconic video game heroes of the past couple of decades. That’s an amazing feat considering Master Chief is a man of few words.
That aspect was changed in the TV show. How much so and why will be explained. One of the reasons why the first season of Halo is getting mixed reviews is because some fans don’t think the show did Master Chief justice. Is this true? Did the show change too much? Let’s find out in this spoiler-filled breakdown.
7 Removes His Helmet…A Lot
One of the biggest mysteries in the Halo series is what Master Chief looks like. There are flashbacks throughout the games that show him briefly as a child but that is it. Master Chief never removes his helmet in the games toward the camera. If his helmet does come off, the scene either cuts away to a new location, or the face is cleverly blocked. In the Halo show, Master Chief removes his helmet in the first episode. His helmet is more off than on in the show which is a huge change.
6 Master Chief Saving Kwan Ha
Master Chief rarely interacts with civilians in the games. His human contacts usually are in the form of UNSC soldiers and officers or other Spartans in the later games. One of the new characters introduced to the lore for the show is Kwan Ha. She is the sole surviving member of a colony that the Covenant attacked her home planet of Madrigal.
She is to be executed but Master Chief, for no explained reason, decides to go rogue and spare her life. They don’t have much of a connection in the show past the first two episodes but Kwan Ha does change Master Chief in some way.
5 How Cortana Is Implemented Into Master Chief
Cortana, herself, was changed a lot to fit the show better. Instead of being a pure AI model made from data composed of Dr. Halsey, she is instead a direct clone of Dr. Halsey. Dr. Halsey sucked up her clone’s brain via a needle in her eye.
This transference made the brain digital which then made Cortana. Instead of being a chip in Master Chief’s helmet, she is directly implanted into Master Chief giving her more direct control of him. It’s an odd change for the Halo TV series on many levels.
4 His Emotions
Master Chief doesn’t just take off his helmet to look more menacing at people. He talks a lot more without it too. He even cracks jokes. Every Spartan in the program is implanted with an emotional inhibitor. This makes sure Spartans don’t misbehave or disobey orders. Master Chief already talked a lot more in the first couple of episodes of Halo than in the games.
After he removes the chip, he talks even more. His emotional levels and personality don’t change that much from being a stone-cold rock. Kai, a fellow Spartan, also removes her emotional chip but does change her personality dramatically.
3 Silver Team Vs Blue Team
In the novels, Master Chief works with a group of Spartans known as the Blue Team. This is briefly mentioned in some of the games as well although it’s not a big part. In the show, he is the head of the Silver Team. Every Spartan on that team is new to the series’ lore. Silver Team consists of the aforementioned Kai along with Riz and Vannak. Why the show changed its name from Blue Team to Silver Team is a mystery. Season two could introduce Blue Team maybe as a replacement for Silver Team if they die or something.
2 The Keystones
Master Chief is kind of like a “chosen one” type of character starting in Halo 4. More about his past is revealed although it’s another situation where reading the novels would have come in handy. It’s a bit confusing.
In the show, this mystical status is shown right away. There are new items in the show called Keystones. There are two and when placed together they show the way to the titular Halo Array. When Master Chief and another new character, Makee, touch them, they can activate a powerful EMP. Touching the Keystones also triggers locked-down memories. Why they were chosen is never explained.
1 Makee And Master Chief Do The Deed
One of the biggest headlines from the show happened after episode eight aired. After decades of celibacy in the games, Master Chief had relations with a woman in the show. He does it with Makee because they feel a connection as the “chosen ones” or whatever they are. Nothing explicit is ever shown. It’s pretty innocent and would fit right in with a romance scene from the Marvel movies.
The fan base has been pretty split on this one change alone as it is a pretty big one. It’s not that Master Chief couldn’t have a relationship in the games. His drive was just taken away from him although he does slowly get attached to Cortana. That’s a whole other story that needs a big breakdown which has led to some interesting fan art, to say the least.