Video and Song Links at the Bottom 
I can talk for days about how Halo’s soundtrack really makes the game stand out but for as long as I’ve been playing halo along with this lovely community, something slipped passed me. If you listen to Marty O’Donnel’s work throughout the games, you can usually hear repeating melodies in his music. This happens quiet often and most of us already know that, but there is one particular part in the halo trilogy that shows how powerful music can elevate story telling in games, movies, etc.
Let’s break this down. At the end of Halo CE, when Cortana and Chief are leaving Alpha Halo before the Autumm goes into a blaze, Cortana says something to Chief. We all know what she says but for this post’s sake I will put it here:
Cortana: Scanning…just dust and echoes. We’re all that’s left. We did what
we had to do - for Earth. An entire Covenant armada obliterated and the Flood.
We had no choice. Halo - it’s finished.
Master Chief: No. I think we’re just getting started.
(Final Cut Scene Ends and Titles Appear)
Ok so that was awesome! Great ending right? Now I let’s take a gander at halo 3’s ending.
The legendary ending in halo 3 is as follows:
Cortana: “But you did it. Truth and the Covenant, the Flood…”
John plugs Cortana’s data chip into the Holotank and she appears.
Cortana: “It’s finished.”
Master Chief: “It’s finished.”
Something interesting happens here. The two game endings are very similar. In Halo CE, Cortana tells Chief that they “did what we had to do.” She also closes by stating, “Halo – It’s Finished.” Chief counters Cortana’s statement with his famous one liner, "No. I think we’re just getting started.” Fast forward to Halo 3 with Cortana closing with this, “But you did it. Truth and the Covenant, the Flood…” and continues with, “It’s finished.” Chief then joins her with “It’s finished.” As you can see by the end of the original trilogy, Chief can finally say it is finished in agreement with Cortana. But you already knew all of this. We may still be missing something here.
If we go back to the ending of Halo CE, In the same scene discussed above, The song “Dust and Echoes” can be heard. While listening through this beautiful piece, pay close attention around 1:50 into the song. You can hear the halo melody dancing around the strings playing beneath it. Like I said, Marty likes to remind you what you are playing by bringing recognizable melodies to life. But this isn’t why I’m here. Let’s listen to the Halo 3 Legendary ending now.
The Song that plays in Halo 3’s Legendary ending is known as “Wake Me when You Need Me.’ If you listen closely, you can notice that it is almost identical to Halo CE’s “dust and Echoes.’ Specifically at minute 1:50. The only real difference is that they are played in different keys.It’s interesting to see how the two endings mirror each other. In both cases, they are left adrift in space but with the job finished the second time around.I’m probably not the only one who noticed this but I thought it would be cool to talk about.
What do you guys think? Do you have any other things to share in regards of the soundtrack?Video and song links:
Dust and Echoes: Halo - Dust And Echoes - YouTube
Wake Me When You Need Me: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FdI1xBqPy5g
Halo CE Ending: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Uy7oGZr9d-w
Halo 3 Legendary Ending: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9_A6-Wcadbw
I will probably do a video on this some time in the future
