{"id":106,"date":"2008-05-09T18:36:05","date_gmt":"2008-05-10T00:36:05","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blog.ascendantjustice.com\/2008\/05\/09\/terminal-visuals\/"},"modified":"2008-05-25T13:32:01","modified_gmt":"2008-05-25T19:32:01","slug":"terminal-visuals","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blog.ascendantjustice.com\/2008\/05\/09\/terminal-visuals\/","title":{"rendered":"Terminal Visuals"},"content":{"rendered":"

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Wait, I thought you were done with the terminals? What’s this all about?<\/p>\n

Well, to the point: Visuals.<\/p>\n

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Certain things could not be directly examined in the context of the previous three articles, so as an addendum of sorts, we wanted to show off some of the interesting pictures and symbols found in the terminals – possibly bridging some gaps and filling in cracks within the fiction along the way.<\/p>\n

Thanks to urk of NeoGAF, we’ve acquired some amazing video captures of the terminal entries at high resolution. You can find those on Vuze at the following links:<\/p>\n

Terminal 01 (Normal<\/a>\/Legendary<\/a>)
\nTerminal 02 (Normal<\/a>\/Legendary<\/a>)
\nTerminal 03 (Normal<\/a>\/Legendary<\/a>)
\nTerminal 04 (Normal<\/a>\/Legendary<\/a>)
\nTerminal 05 (Easy<\/a>\/Normal<\/a>\/Heroic<\/a>\/Legendary<\/a>)
\nTerminal 06 (Normal<\/a>\/Legendary<\/a>)
\nTerminal 07 (Normal<\/a>\/Legendary<\/a>)<\/p>\n

All-in-all there are 16 terminal instances relating to the Forerunners and their archive. We really appreciate the time and attention urk took in capturing these items and we\u2019re using them in this very piece. Remember to use the pause button frequently to examine each entry closer, as we run through each panel rather quickly.<\/p>\n

You can also check out HBO’s interesting terminal interface called Forerunner Terminal Network Archives<\/a> for additional content and ways in which you can view the terminals.<\/p>\n

But what about the visuals?<\/p>\n

The Forerunner language has offered an amazing lexicon of symbols which some fans have deciphered or at the very least cataloged. One symbol, which stands out above all of them, is this one…<\/p>\n

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For those who have played Halo: Combat Evolved, you may remember it from ‘The Silent Cartographer’ (img<\/a>) while others may remember seeing it on Halo 2’s multiplayer map called Ascension (img<\/a>). This image is everywhere – plastered across all aspects of the Halo Array and even on the face of Halo 3’s Bestiarum<\/em> – a Forerunner archive of several key sentient species (img<\/a>). The monitors in Forge have this engraved in their encasement, even the Ark’s surface reveals the architecture was molding into the shape of the symbol (img<\/a>). If you’re familiar with the Legendary ending of Halo 3, you’ll recognize the lower portion of the same exact symbol near the northern axis of the mysterious planetoid facility.<\/p>\n

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To the Forerunners, this symbol obviously meant something special. We doubt that it had to do with a functional or practical purpose because of the frequency in which it occurs and the diversity of its locations, but we do feel it may be acting as an emblem for all of those otherwise separate elements of the Halo Array, including what many have proposed is a shield world in the screenshot above.<\/p>\n

Some have pointed out the visual connection between this image and an actual sword and shield, a metaphorical analog of the Halo ringworlds and the shield facilities operating in tandem. These “shields” were discussed extensively during Halo: Ghosts of Onyx<\/em>, they were mentioned during the \u2018Cortana message\u2019 lead-up to the unveiling of the portal in Halo 3’s ‘The Storm,’ and interestingly, they’re also found in the Bestiarum<\/em> as one of the confirmed sources for the information within. We know that the Array Installations acted as a sword, slaying the Flood, but we also know, thanks to the Onyx Project mentioned of in the terminals, that there were facilities made which could shield the firing of the Halo Array \u2013 perhaps this is the installation seen in the Legendary ending.<\/p>\n

Whatever the symbol is, we know that it is directly related to the Forerunners and their story. We can be sure, if the end of Halo 3 is any indication, that the Forerunners and\/or their properties will be heavily featured in a future Bungie title. If you still harbor doubt, take your Halo 3 manual out and flip it around so that you can examine the back cover. Hopefully this future Bungie project, whatever it is, will offer more explanation as to the meaning of symbol and possibly even deliver more information on the Forerunners themselves.<\/p>\n

Of course, there were plenty of other symbols in the terminals – at least one symbol for each character represented in archive. Below are a composite of captures showing every symbol and each character they likely represent.<\/p>\n

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From left to right…<\/strong><\/p>\n