Paramount+'s video game-inspired Halo TV show looks scintillating, but how do its characters, aliens, and location changes compare to the Halo source material? First premiering on March 24th, 2022, the Halo series is set to follow a futuristic 26th-century conflict between humanity and an alien threat known as The Covenant. However, while centering on the basic premise of the Halo games, the Paramount+ original series looks to be making wholesale changes to the narrative first laid out by the existing video game franchise.
Halo executive producer Kiki Wolfkill confirmed as much via Twitter, revealing that the Paramount+ series is a non-canonical standalone story inspired by the game franchise rather than a continuation, adaptation, or prequel to any existing installment. According to Wolfkill, this decision was taken to "give the two Halo canons a chance to evolve individually to suit their mediums." This, in turn, has led to the Halo show being officially dubbed as taking place within the "Silver timeline," which focuses on a group of Spartans known as the Silver Team.
As such, the Halo TV series introduces a host of new characters created originally for the show, including the vast majority of the Silver Team Spartans. This, however, is not to say Halo does not contain any familiar faces or locales, with characters like franchise protagonist Master Chief and the iconic White Tower still very much in play. Here's a comparison of all the elements the Halo show borrows from the video games, including its characters, aliens, and locations.
Master Chief
As the main character across both the video game and TV show Halo continuities, Master Chief naturally plays a prominent role in the new Paramount+ series. Master Chief is one character the Halo series gets spot-on at first glance, with his stature, armor, and objective-oriented gruff persona, all key aspects of his video game character. Pablo Schrieber voices the genetically modified supersoldier in the Halo show's story, taking over from his video game counterpart Steve Downes in Halo: The Fall of Reach.
Dr. Catherine Halsey
The creator of the Spartan-II project, Catherine Halsey also plays a prominent role in the new Halo series, with Natascha McElhone's character making several appearances in the Halo trailer. However, unlike in the original games, it seems as if McElhone's Dr. Halsey will take on more of a protagonist-style role akin to the storyline of Halo 5, in which Master Chief is deemed to have "gone rogue." Halsey's blonde hair aside (as opposed to the original Halsey's deep grey), her appearance otherwise translates as a very faithful adaptation of the video game character - although whether she keeps both of her arms by the end of Halo season 1 remains to be seen.
Jacob Keyes
Captain Jacob Keyes is one of the Halo franchise's most frequently recurring characters, making his inclusion in the Halo TV series no surprise. Voiced by Pete Stacker across the entirety of the franchise, Keyes will now be embodied by Danny Sapani, who at first glance appears perfect for the role. Sapani's imposing frame works perfectly for the brash and aggressive Keyes, who is eventually assimilated by The Flood following a failed guerilla mission on Halo, although it remains to be seen what his fate will be in Paramount+'s Halo continuity (as he not shown in the initial Halo trailers).
Miranda Keyes
The daughter of Jacob Keyes and Catherine Halsey, Commander Miranda Keyes first appears in Halo 2, Halo 3, and the final chapter of Halo: The Cole Protocol. Played by Olive Gray in the Halo TV show, the Paramount+ series has done away with Miranda's formidable-looking features, instead having operate primarily as a scientist as well as bearing a much closer resemblance to her canonical parents in the Halo series.
Cortana
The Cortana seen in the Halo series trailer is a lot more human-looking than her video game counterpart, with her iconic blue-projection color being replaced with an artificial humanoid appearance. Cortana's aesthetic change from the games is by far the riskiest alteration undertaken by the Halo show, with Cortana as synonymous with the franchise as Master Chief himself. Cortana is, however, still voiced by Jen Taylor, the same actress from the game series, balancing Cortana's new look with her familiar dulcet tones. Although the live-action Cortana looks to be a new creation that first meets Master Chief in the new Halo show timeline, expect the pair to become quickly acquainted so the AI can evolve into Master Chief's guiding light in the seasons to come.
The Arbiter/Thel' Vadam
Although it is not yet confirmed whether The Arbiter seen in the Halo trailer is, in fact, the legendary Thel' Vadam, his appearance would make sense in the context of the series. In the Halo video games, Thel' Vadam eventually allies with Master Chief to stop the Halo array from firing after initially being a puppet of The Covenant. Regardless, The Arbiter shown in the Halo series to date is a phenomenal replication of the video game character's look, with his plasma sword reveal one of the most scintillating aspects of the Halo trailer. Two more Arbiter kin can also be seen fighting Master Chief earlier in the same Halo trailer.
Jackals/Skirmishers
Alongside The Arbiter, another classic Halo alien makes its way into the new TV show. Master Chief and the Silver Team can be seen briefly battling several Jackals in a desert landscape, confirming their existence as part of The Covenant forces in the new Halo show. The Jackals appear very faithful to their original video game designs, complete with the spined backs and plasma shields that originally made them such fearsome opponents.
The White Tower
The White Tower is a UNSC military facility on the Inner Colony world of Reach and one of the earliest playable maps of the Halo video game series. The White Tower can be seen clearly in a landscape shot during the Halo trailer's opening scenes, as well as several of its internal halls as Master Chief and the rest of the Silver Team briefly interact. Paramount+'s update of this classic Halo locale has been well implemented, with The White Tower an instantly recognizable landmark even from afar in the early Halo show images.
High Charity
In direct contrast to The White Tower, the Halo franchise's High Charity is The Covenant's mobile planetoid station, capital city, and the collective's united homeworld. Once again, High Charity has been superbly executed by Paramount+'s Halo series, with the dome-shaped, pulsating command center bearing a striking resemblance to its original video game counterpart.