Master Chief John-117

Community Halo Universe
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Hey guys, i have recently gotten hooked on the Halo universe. I’ve been playing through the games now from halo anni/2/reach/3/odst and still half way through halo 4. The story and characters are simply amazing especially our important protagonist Master Chief. Anyway getting to the point of this topic,

I am actually VERY curious about our main protagonist here, i’m sure this might have already been discuss many times over for the past years but as a new fan i really would like to discuss this again.

I wonder what drives Master Chief or rather John-117 to be what he is today. He is a man of very few words, not much is revealed about him either than the info in the books/videos about his kidnap, how he became a spartan and the trainees he was with before it all started. His undying loyalty to the UNSC and humanity is very commendable, even when he knew they took him away from his family(or did he? im not sure but…) and make him go through hell to become what he is today.

I’m so fascinated with his character, i wonder just how does his mind works? Just what goes through that awesome skull of his. Does he only think of saving humanity and fighting the enemy and nothing else? How does he feel about the war and everything, does he like it, enjoy it or hate it? Does he feel obligated to fight and sacrifice himself for the greater good? Has he even once question why he has to be the one doing all this, and not the other spartans? Does he have a REASON to fight, maybe a motive, grudge or has his brain been messed up to think that he is made to be a hero and sacrifice himself unconditionally for humanity?

Seriously after all the -Yoink- hes been through, is there even a slightest possibility that he would have a mental breakdown and cry manly tears? I bet he would if Cortana dies but who knows. Really just what is he thinking, putting on a suit, carrying a rifle that who knows might jam 50% of the time, fighting aliens, monstrosities in space, on land everywhere and almost dying like a crazy dozen of times or maybe all the time. His augmentations and skills carries him far, but he is only one man after all and even with all the luck he has…it will eventually turn against him or just simply run out.

Just who is John-117? WHAT IS HE MADE OF…i kinda bet the convenants do ask themselves this sometimes.

Oh man, just look at me rant along and i can already feel the post being jumbled up messy with all my nonsensical questions. Well thumbs up to bungie and 343 for making this possible. Master Chief, if only we have people like him IRL…we all would be able to see Human nature in a better light then…that heroes could actually truly exist.

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Someone who was taken at the age of 6, trained for years, than given physical augmentations and finally given the best technology humanity had to offer at the time. He shows no pain, no mercy, and rarely any emotions. He always places the lives of his fellow comrades before himself, and is willing to do whatever it takes to complete his mission. Not to mention, he’s a SPARTAN II, the pinnacle of the spartan program. Seeing how you haven’t finished Halo 4 yet op, I wont spoil anything, but I will say you are in for a surprise at the end.

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If you’re interested in getting into the universe beyond the games, go read the books. They’re actually fantastic. It’s a shame that a ton of people don’t know how much lore there is behind the games. There’s so much that I think a Halo MMO could actually work.

I’d say half my enjoyment of the series just comes from the story. Go read the books NAO.

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> Someone who was taken at the age of 6, trained for years, than given physical augmentations and finally given the best technology humanity had to offer at the time. He shows no pain, no mercy, and rarely any emotions. He always places the lives of his fellow comrades before himself, and is willing to do whatever it takes to complete his mission. Not to mention, he’s a SPARTAN II, the pinnacle of the spartan program. Seeing how you haven’t finished Halo 4 yet op, I wont spoil anything, but I will say you are in for a surprise at the end.

I find that the burden he is carrying is truly terrifying. Just how does he maintain his mental composure even with all training and augmentation he has, i’m pretty sure the Mind works very differently but of course who knows what kind of technology the UNSC uses during the spartan program. I wonder did they ever mention that they wipe his memories & messed up with his mind or does he still remember all his past whatever happen before he got kidnapped? How did he react when he got kidnapped, did he ever tried to runaway or resist like the Infamous Gray team spartans?

Anyway. I would love to see 343 develop Master Chief’s character even further, bringing him out more and showing us what lingers inside that supersoldier.

> If you’re interested in getting into the universe beyond the games, go read the books. They’re actually fantastic. It’s a shame that a ton of people don’t know how much lore there is behind the games. There’s so much that I think a Halo MMO could actually work.
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> I’d say half my enjoyment of the series just comes from the story. Go read the books NAO.

Oh yea i do read the books, only have the fall of reach and ghost of onyx atm though. The Lore is truly enormous with lots of depth, also the thought of a Halo MMO sounds exciting.

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He actually remembers his past. Hell, he even remembers the girl he promised to marry(before he was subsequently kidnapped) John adjusted to his new lifestyle as a SPARTAN, and never tried to resist or runaway, like the members of grey team did. He displays an odd sort of attitude for a creation of the military: he does not glorify his violent actions, but merely does what he has to do. He does not hate his enemy; he kills them because he knows it is his duty to kill them; to win. “It wasn’t [the Chief’s] job to make things suffer - he was just here to win battles. Whatever it took.”

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There are a lot of articles out there (Halopedia, Halo Wiki, etc) that go into great detail on Master Chief/John-117 and the SPARTAN-II program in general. Reading those will give you a lot of good information.

Johns always been a very competitive and honor-bound person. “Winning” is hugely important to him, and he’ll put his personal safety second to completing an objective.

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You asked a lot of overlapping questions that basically boil down to John’s psyche. At least that is the way I read it. I cannot recommend the book series strongly enough (read in order). I will try to state things broadly so as not to spoil the books.

There are three “key” lessons John learned in training that affected his personality. The first was that there are winners and losers, and you end up being one or the other. The second lesson is the one I think is the most important to his development. You win as a team, not on your own. It was the start of the espirit de corps mentality that John has. The final “lesson” was more of a combination of those two ideas. That if any of his people had to lose he would chose to be the one to pay that price. It is what started him on the trail to becoming the leader he is.

I also believe you doubt just what kind of impact brainwashing can have on a person especially 8 years worth (how long their training was). It is even more effective when started at an early age. If you want good examples of brainwashing, talk to people before going to bootcamp and then after. The way it typically works is you have to strip down the psyche and remold it to what is desired. When you start with children you just have to mold there is no need to strip down. Granted we see more of John emerging through the layers of training over the games and books and some of that is due to Halsey and trying to teach John his final lesson, to fight for every life.

War makes a person callus to varying degrees depending on the person. John learned early on to separate his emotions and to saving them for later so he can accomplish the mission at hand. John has lost the vast majority of his brother and sister Spartan II’s over the years. He has watched entire planets be glassed by the Covenant. The slaughter of billions of people over his lifetime. I won’t say he has grown numb per-say, and he certainly isn’t emotionally dead. He is just more capable of controlling his emotions then most.

As for people like John not existing, you could not be further from the truth. The big problem is that most people that act like John don’t have the augmentations and armor he has and therefore end up dying from wounds received. Go read Medal of Honor recipient citations and those of the prospective service “Crosses” (i.e. the Navy Cross). Read POW stories from any of the wars over the past century (Korea is one that typically gets overlooked and had the most profound affects on the military). There have been plenty of men and women that were great but sadly perished.