After reading Silentium and re-playing the Halo 4 campaign I’ve come to the conclusion that the Ur-Didact cannot be dead. Surely in his epilogue he is addressing a forerunner audience.
‘I stand before you. Accused of the sin of ensuring Forerunner ascendancy. Of attempting to save us from this fate where we are forced to… recede…’ - I would say this speech takes place before the firing of the Halo Array but in Silentium we learn that the Ur-Didact was not present during meetings on the greater-ark. Perhaps some forerunners (born-stellar for example) were able to survive on the lesser-ark at the time of firing.
‘We squander eons in the darkness, while they seize our triumphs for their own.’ - This must be the Didact referring to the recent utilization of forerunner technology, something that had never happened before the firing of the halos. Notice how he addresses the listeners as we, this suggests to me that the audience is of the same kin.
‘The Mantle of Responsibility, for all things, belongs to Forerunners alone!’ - This one struck me as curious as the forerunners seemed only to encompass life into their version of the mantle, ‘all things’ seems to be a precursor attitude.
‘The reclamation… has already begun.’ - Humanity is rising to power once again, they seem to be reclaiming what they lost in the forerunner-human war one hundred thousand years before.
Tell me what you think, I just had to get this to those who thought that the Didact died at the end of Halo 4
Very few people thought the didact was dead. Would have been a waste of time to introduce him, then kill him after he only shows up about 13 mins in all during the game.
He could be addressing a forerunner audience, a part of him anyway, like the Librarian contacts John in ‘Reclaimer’.
> After reading Silentium and re-playing the Halo 4 campaign I’ve come to the conclusion that the Ur-Didact cannot be dead. Surely in his epilogue he is addressing a forerunner audience.
>
> ‘I stand before you. Accused of the sin of ensuring Forerunner ascendancy. Of attempting to save us from this fate where we are forced to… recede…’ - I would say this speech takes place before the firing of the Halo Array but in Silentium we learn that the Ur-Didact was not present during meetings on the greater-ark. Perhaps some forerunners (born-stellar for example) were able to survive on the lesser-ark at the time of firing.
>
> ‘We squander eons in the darkness, while they seize our triumphs for their own.’ - This must be the Didact referring to the recent utilization of forerunner technology, something that had never happened before the firing of the halos. Notice how he addresses the listeners as we, this suggests to me that the audience is of the same kin.
>
> ‘The Mantle of Responsibility, for all things, belongs to Forerunners alone!’ - This one struck me as curious as the forerunners seemed only to encompass life into their version of the mantle, ‘all things’ seems to be a precursor attitude.
>
> ‘The reclamation… has already begun.’ - Humanity is rising to power once again, they seem to be reclaiming what they lost in the forerunner-human war one hundred thousand years before.
>
> Tell me what you think, I just had to get this to those who thought that the Didact died at the end of Halo 4
Well here a few things that may change this, when you fight Didact he lifts you up and throws you off the edge if you fail. That means he knows that fall is lethal so I himself falling there might be a clue that he is dead.
BUT! He is forerunner and more durable than we are so I still believe that he is still alive. I don’t think that he is addressing other forerunners I think this was after him being freed from the Cryptum and addressing his Knights.
I’ve seen a few people on youtube videos, twitter and these forums claiming that killing off the Didact so soon was a screw-up on 343’s behalf.
The purpose of this was to try and give a little persuasion to the obvious which some of us struggle to reach
Edit: Ignore, my thing posted twice.
> > After reading Silentium and re-playing the Halo 4 campaign I’ve come to the conclusion that the Ur-Didact cannot be dead. Surely in his epilogue he is addressing a forerunner audience.
> >
> > ‘I stand before you. Accused of the sin of ensuring Forerunner ascendancy. Of attempting to save us from this fate where we are forced to… recede…’ - I would say this speech takes place before the firing of the Halo Array but in Silentium we learn that the Ur-Didact was not present during meetings on the greater-ark. Perhaps some forerunners (born-stellar for example) were able to survive on the lesser-ark at the time of firing.
> >
> > ‘We squander eons in the darkness, while they seize our triumphs for their own.’ - This must be the Didact referring to the recent utilization of forerunner technology, something that had never happened before the firing of the halos. Notice how he addresses the listeners as we, this suggests to me that the audience is of the same kin.
> >
> > ‘The Mantle of Responsibility, for all things, belongs to Forerunners alone!’ - This one struck me as curious as the forerunners seemed only to encompass life into their version of the mantle, ‘all things’ seems to be a precursor attitude.
> >
> > ‘The reclamation… has already begun.’ - Humanity is rising to power once again, they seem to be reclaiming what they lost in the forerunner-human war one hundred thousand years before.
> >
> > Tell me what you think, I just had to get this to those who thought that the Didact died at the end of Halo 4
>
> Well here a few things that may change this, when you fight Didact he lifts you up and throws you off the edge if you fail. That means he knows that fall is lethal so I himself falling there might be a clue that he is dead.
>
> BUT! He is forerunner and more durable than we are so I still believe that he is still alive. I don’t think that he is addressing other forerunners I think this was after him being freed from the Cryptum and <mark>addressing his Knights.</mark>
Some sound points. Although I was under the impression that a tier-12 armour skin such as the didacts could survive such a drop, besides I doubt the Master Chief could survive a journey through slipspace in his armour (which is laughable in compariosn to the didacts)
I like your suggestion about the knights, I’m not sure they could really do anything than a ‘yes sir’ to be honest. They are, as the librarian calls them, abominations of life and very unlikely to hold the ability to communicate.
> I would say this speech takes place before the firing of the Halo Array but in Silentium we learn that the Ur-Didact was not present during meetings on the greater-ark. Perhaps some forerunners (born-stellar for example) were able to survive on the lesser-ark at the time of firing.
It doesn’t make much sense in that context. Before the firing, he was on Requiem. After the firing, he was in his Cryptum. While Bornsteller and others did survive, he didn’t interact with the Ur-Didact.
> This must be the Didact referring to the recent utilization of forerunner technology, something that had never happened before the firing of the halos. Notice how he addresses the listeners as we, this suggests to me that the audience is of the same kin.
It sounds like he is talking to Forerunners to me as well.
> This one struck me as curious as the forerunners seemed only to encompass life into their version of the mantle, ‘all things’ seems to be a precursor attitude.
The Gravemind did drive him to insanity and exploited his paranoid and prejudice. He talked the same way in Silentium.
> Humanity is rising to power once again, they seem to be reclaiming what they lost in the forerunner-human war one hundred thousand years before.
That is essentially what the reclaimation for me has been, to reclaim what humanity had lost all of those years ago.
I also doubt the Ur-Didact has died.