Shift away from gameplay allows ‘Halo’ series to focus on characters
Toward the end of the first episode of “Halo,” Master Chief — the commander of a squad of scientifically enhanced soldiers known as Spartans — is held at rifle point by Kwan, a teen captive who has just lost everything.
The weapon poses no threat against the hightech armor protecting the interstellar super soldier. But after turning to face Kwan (Yerin Ha), who is understandably confused and concerned about her safety and future, Master Chief (Pablo Schreiber) takes off his helmet.
It’s a moment that has been more than 20 years in the making.
Based on the longrunning video game franchise, “Halo,” which recently premiered on Paramount+, is a sci-fiinfused fantasy drama set in a future where humanity is at war with itself as well as a coalition of aliens known as the Covenant.
Master Chief, also known as John-117 (or just John), has been the helmeted face of the franchise since his introduction as the playable character in the first “Halo” game, 2001’s “Halo: Combat Evolved.” The television series’ premiere is the first time any incarnation of Master Chief is seen removing his helmet on screen.
“For some people, this has been a moment they’ve been waiting for 20 years to happen,” said executive producer Kiki Wolfkill, who oversees “Halo” transmedia for 343 Industries. “For other people, it’s a moment they believe should never happen because part of the game experience is you inhabiting that character.”
The moment is narratively significant in the developing dynamic
between Master Chief and Kwan, and it also signals some of the storytelling priorities that distinguish a television show from a first-person shooter video game.
Although this series marks “Halo’s” first foray into live-action television, the franchise spans two trilogies of core games as well as prequels and spinoff games, novels and other adaptations. After diving into “Halo” lore, one of the challenges for the show’s creative team became choosing what story to tell in the series. Another was figuring out how to translate a first-person shooter game into a show about a character that’s three-dimensional.
“Halo’s” Master Chief comes with a peculiar hurdle: Everyone who has played a “Halo” game is already invested in their own version of Master Chief that the games allow them to embrace.
“We took that challenge and made that the core of the first season,” said executive producer Steven Kane. “Who is Master Chief ? (The show) is really about John, Master Chief, 117, himself discovering who he is ... (and) discovering his own humanity.”
This shift away from the game’s first-person perspective also gives the
show the opportunity to focus on characters and introduce places that haven’t been explored in the games.
Take Cortana (Jen Taylor), the AI character who in the games assists Master Chief and helps guide players through missions. In the series, audiences will see the creation of Cortana and will be introduced to her and John’s complicated dynamic from the beginnings of their relationship.
The series also follows Kwan, whose father was helping to lead their planet’s rebellion against the United Nations Space Command (the military and scientific arm of a central interplanetary human government).
Kwan allows the show to question elements of the world that players don’t necessarily have to confront when playing as a soldier making their way through missions.
It’s a nuance only possible by expanding the story to show more civilian life and viewpoints outside of the United Nations Space Command.
“With a game, gameplay is king,” said Wolfkill. “The story is meant to support the gameplay experience. But with television, story is king. All other decisions are driven by the story.”