A question I’ve always pondered in my head, is that throughout history nations and militaries have constantly been moving forward technologically.
In Halo the UNSC now has almost uncontested access to forerunner and Covenant technology. Anybody in the UNSC with common sense could see that newer energy based weapons are superior to current ballistic weapons like the AR, BR, and all their cousins. Canonically we cannot stay slave to gameplay forever.
So my question is, what would be the reactions we the fans will have once the UNSC takes it’s long-overdue technological leap forward?
I think if the franchise took that risk and made the UNSC adapt and upgrade their weapons, that you would end up with hybrid firearms.
Plasma is good for overloading energy shields.
Projectiles are good at penetrating armor and flesh.
The upgraded UNSC weapons might have a three round burst, like the battle rifle. The first round would be a plasma, or EMP bolt and then after that two projectiles would penetrate the target after the shield pops.
I would personally want to see a handheld gauss cannon, but I guess the Rail gun in Halo 4 qualifies as that.
The UNSC could also put portable energy shields on all ships and vehicles and make the shields more resilient and stronger.
Hell, why not take solders off the field and replace everything with super smart A.I’s in Spartan combat suits?
As much as it seems questionably strange that the technology and weapons haven’t changed over the years, we need to understand that Halo takes place in its own universe, and in that particular universe, Humans love their projectile weapons and watched too many terminator movies
I feel that the UNSC has access to all sorts of acquired technology but only has a very limited understanding of how it all works or how to use it completely. It’s like giving preschoolers race modified sports cars, high end PCs running Linux, and a few dozen US Navy Aircraft Carriers.
> I feel that the UNSC has access to all sorts of acquired technology but only has a very limited understanding of how it all works or how to use it completely. It’s like giving preschoolers race modified sports cars, high end PCs running Linux, and a few dozen US Navy Aircraft Carriers.
This.
Since stumbling onto Onyx and it’s stores of tech and Huragok, humanity is at risk of heading the same way as the elites did…they have all this tech on infinity like the engines and shields etc…but not many fully understand it and could repair it without the aid of a Huragok.
I think we’ll see more Forerunner weapons being merged with human tech. …but not completely leaving projectile weapons behind, simply because that’s what we know works. At least until we catch up with all these new toys.
The next big thing will be the race for that forerunner armada sitting outside the galaxy by Path Kethona, waiting to be used.
> I think if the franchise took that risk and made the UNSC adapt and upgrade their weapons, <mark>that you would end up with hybrid firearms.</mark>
> <mark>Plasma is good for overloading energy shields.</mark>
> <mark>Projectiles are good at penetrating armor and flesh.</mark>
>
> The upgraded UNSC weapons might have a three round burst, like the battle rifle. The first round would be a plasma, or EMP bolt and then after that two projectiles would penetrate the target after the shield pops.
>
> I would personally want to see a handheld gauss cannon, but I guess the Rail gun in Halo 4 qualifies as that.
>
> The UNSC could also put portable energy shields on all ships and vehicles and make the shields more resilient and stronger.
>
> Hell, why not take solders off the field and replace everything with super smart A.I’s in Spartan combat suits?
>
> As much as it seems questionably strange that the technology and weapons haven’t changed over the years, we need to understand that Halo takes place in its own universe, and in that particular universe, Humans love their projectile weapons and watched too many terminator movies
Not gonna lie, that would be pretty cool.
But I don’t know why they would do that, unless they made another trilogy, or the story moves forward several years.
> Frankie addressed this topic in a halo bulletin I think, I can’t remember what he said, but I recall it making sense.
Yes he did.
Here’s the full quote:
> Why did the UNSC stick to projectiles as their main form of weaponry, or even now when ONI has developed lasers?
> - Seeeyeare
>
> The truth is that creating a distinctive human flair, sound, silhouette and look for the universe is important to the nature and identity of the canon, and the canonical reason would be that projectiles are something you can build easily and cheaply in almost any human-friendly environment. And we don’t shy away from the fact that we have a massive military industrial complex at play. Halo actually takes place at the cusp of a more energy-efficient shift in our tech – and you have these contrasts – FTL travel and standard caseless ammo. Frankly speaking it is like that because it feels good.
Humanity has just gotten most of the more advanced tech. It’s a lot cheaper to produce what the UNSC has at that point than changing up all tech in one sweep.
I mean, if you look at CRT TVs. While they’re not as common anymore, they were still the most sold and produced TV when LCD TV’s started to appear on the market. Their production gradually decreased, it didn’t happen over night.
You must make sure something functions properly, is easily produced and maintainable, or atleast easily replaced should one malfunction, before changing up on your tech.
> <mark>The next big thing will be the race for that forerunner armada sitting outside the galaxy by Path Kethona, waiting to be used.</mark>
The armada decayed, as far as I understood all the ships were useless. Millions of years of decay.
> Humanity has just gotten most of the more advanced tech. It’s a lot cheaper to produce what the UNSC has at that point than changing up all tech in one sweep.
>
> I mean, if you look at CRT TVs. While they’re not as common anymore, they were still the most sold and produced TV when LCD TV’s started to appear on the market. Their production gradually decreased, it didn’t happen over night.
>
> You must make sure something functions properly, is easily produced and maintainable, or atleast easily replaced should one malfunction, before changing up on your tech.
>
>
>
> > <mark>The next big thing will be the race for that forerunner armada sitting outside the galaxy by Path Kethona, waiting to be used.</mark>
>
> The armada decayed, as far as I understood all the ships were useless. Millions of years of decay.
I get that it takes time, but from Reach to 4 its been 5 years. If we see another time lapse like this, there’d be practically no reason not to develop some sort of successor to traditional weapons.
> Humanity has just gotten most of the more advanced tech. It’s a lot cheaper to produce what the UNSC has at that point than changing up all tech in one sweep.
>
> I mean, if you look at CRT TVs. While they’re not as common anymore, they were still the most sold and produced TV when LCD TV’s started to appear on the market. Their production gradually decreased, it didn’t happen over night.
>
> You must make sure something functions properly, is easily produced and maintainable, or atleast easily replaced should one malfunction, before changing up on your tech.
>
>
>
> > <mark>The next big thing will be the race for that forerunner armada sitting outside the galaxy by Path Kethona, waiting to be used.</mark>
>
> The armada decayed, as far as I understood all the ships were useless. Millions of years of decay.
Eh?? I thought it said it was all perfectly fine. Old forerunner tech but still formidable and it was waiting to be taken.
Also…how can things decay or corrode in space??? O.o
> > Humanity has just gotten most of the more advanced tech. It’s a lot cheaper to produce what the UNSC has at that point than changing up all tech in one sweep.
> >
> > I mean, if you look at CRT TVs. While they’re not as common anymore, they were still the most sold and produced TV when LCD TV’s started to appear on the market. Their production gradually decreased, it didn’t happen over night.
> >
> > You must make sure something functions properly, is easily produced and maintainable, or atleast easily replaced should one malfunction, before changing up on your tech.
> >
> >
> >
> > > <mark>The next big thing will be the race for that forerunner armada sitting outside the galaxy by Path Kethona, waiting to be used.</mark>
> >
> > The armada decayed, as far as I understood all the ships were useless. Millions of years of decay.
>
> Eh?? I thought it said it was all perfectly fine. Old forerunner tech but still formidable and it was waiting to be taken.
>
>
> <mark>Also…how can things decay or corrode in space??? O.o</mark>
>
> ~ Duck.
Being bombarded by billions of micrometeorites each second and exposure to intense radiation will take its tool after a million years…
> > > Humanity has just gotten most of the more advanced tech. It’s a lot cheaper to produce what the UNSC has at that point than changing up all tech in one sweep.
> > >
> > > I mean, if you look at CRT TVs. While they’re not as common anymore, they were still the most sold and produced TV when LCD TV’s started to appear on the market. Their production gradually decreased, it didn’t happen over night.
> > >
> > > You must make sure something functions properly, is easily produced and maintainable, or atleast easily replaced should one malfunction, before changing up on your tech.
> > >
> > >
> > >
> > > > <mark>The next big thing will be the race for that forerunner armada sitting outside the galaxy by Path Kethona, waiting to be used.</mark>
> > >
> > > The armada decayed, as far as I understood all the ships were useless. Millions of years of decay.
> >
> > Eh?? I thought it said it was all perfectly fine. Old forerunner tech but still formidable and it was waiting to be taken.
> >
> > Erhem, 100,000.
> >
> > <mark>Also…how can things decay or corrode in space??? O.o</mark>
> >
> > ~ Duck.
>
> Being bombarded by billions of micrometeorites each second and exposure to intense radiation will take its tool after a million years…
> > > > Humanity has just gotten most of the more advanced tech. It’s a lot cheaper to produce what the UNSC has at that point than changing up all tech in one sweep.
> > > >
> > > > I mean, if you look at CRT TVs. While they’re not as common anymore, they were still the most sold and produced TV when LCD TV’s started to appear on the market. Their production gradually decreased, it didn’t happen over night.
> > > >
> > > > You must make sure something functions properly, is easily produced and maintainable, or atleast easily replaced should one malfunction, before changing up on your tech.
> > > >
> > > >
> > > >
> > > > > <mark>The next big thing will be the race for that forerunner armada sitting outside the galaxy by Path Kethona, waiting to be used.</mark>
> > > >
> > > > The armada decayed, as far as I understood all the ships were useless. Millions of years of decay.
> > >
> > > Eh?? I thought it said it was all perfectly fine. Old forerunner tech but still formidable and it was waiting to be taken.
> > >
> > > Erhem, 100,000.
> > >
> > > <mark>Also…how can things decay or corrode in space??? O.o</mark>
> > >
> > > ~ Duck.
> >
> > Being bombarded by billions of micrometeorites each second and exposure to intense radiation will take its tool after a million years…
That’s not really decay/ corrosion but good point.
Yeah, I don’t think that armada is going to be of any use to anyone. Last I checked, they were situated near a Precursor star road and when those came alive, I’m sure it destroyed the ships. Heck, even the Librarian and her entourage could get very little use out of them technology wise if I recall.
> Eh?? I thought it said it was all perfectly fine. Old forerunner tech but still formidable and it was waiting to be taken.
>
> Also…how can things decay or corrode in space??? O.o
>
> ~ Duck.
"This ship wore micrometeor scratches, like sand-tumbled quartz. The erosion had blasted away centimeters in some locations, giving relativley useless insight into the dusty sweeps of comets through which the ships had passed again and again.
Old things wear down"
Radiation in space and micrometeorites as well as larger ones.
> > Eh?? I thought it said it was all perfectly fine. Old forerunner tech but still formidable and it was waiting to be taken.
> >
> > <mark>Erhem, 100,000.</mark>
> >
> > <mark>Also…how can things decay or corrode in space??? O.o</mark>
> >
> > ~ Duck.
Since this is the only addition to the post in general I’m going to assume that you mean that the ships at Path Kethona had only been there for 100 000 years. Which is false.
That fleet had been there for millions of years. As it was the forerunner fleet that went to war with the Precursors. The “current” forerunners only had an “urban legend” that someone had gone to that galaxy before the Audacity. But they dismissed it as no record had ever been found and no evidence pointed towards a visit there.
> That’s not really decay/ corrosion but good point.
>
> Could still be fixable and usable though.
>
> ~ Duck.
Nobody mentioned corrosion, but decay also is also a synonym to deteriorate.
That depends, the digital storage is random nonsense at that point. If most of the hull has deteriorated and the infrastructure has suffered some damage I’d say that it’d be only useful as raw material.
Technology wise it may have some sort of value but as a form of captured fleet I think the whole time and resources it’d take to learn how it’s built, repair it, learn how to use it would be much better put to use by salvaging raw material and actual tech that can be used.
> > > Humanity has just gotten most of the more advanced tech. It’s a lot cheaper to produce what the UNSC has at that point than changing up all tech in one sweep.
> > >
> > > I mean, if you look at CRT TVs. While they’re not as common anymore, they were still the most sold and produced TV when LCD TV’s started to appear on the market. Their production gradually decreased, it didn’t happen over night.
> > >
> > > You must make sure something functions properly, is easily produced and maintainable, or atleast easily replaced should one malfunction, before changing up on your tech.
> > >
> > >
> > >
> > > > <mark>The next big thing will be the race for that forerunner armada sitting outside the galaxy by Path Kethona, waiting to be used.</mark>
> > >
> > > The armada decayed, as far as I understood all the ships were useless. Millions of years of decay.
> >
> > Eh?? I thought it said it was all perfectly fine. Old forerunner tech but still formidable and it was waiting to be taken.
> >
> >
> > <mark>Also…how can things decay or corrode in space??? O.o</mark>
> >
> > ~ Duck.
>
> Being bombarded by billions of micrometeorites each second and exposure to intense radiation will take its tool after a million years…
Outside a galaxy you have significantly less matter. The gravitational pull of the galaxy pulls it in over billions of years. Decay really makes zero sense. That and you’re even further from any harmful radiation the further you are from their sources the weaker it is. Intergalactic space is very truly quite empty and devoid of anything that would decay ships.
> Outside a galaxy you have significantly less matter. The gravitational pull of the galaxy pulls it in over billions of years. Decay really makes zero sense.
> > Outside a galaxy you have significantly less matter. The gravitational pull of the galaxy pulls it in over billions of years. Decay really makes zero sense.
>
> It was in another galaxy.
I thought it was in between them?
At any rate, wouldn’t it take hundreds of years for UNSC slipstream tech to get to another galaxy? They aren’t exactly nearby and it can take weeks or months just to travel from one system to another in our own galaxy.
> > > > Humanity has just gotten most of the more advanced tech. It’s a lot cheaper to produce what the UNSC has at that point than changing up all tech in one sweep.
> > > >
> > > > I mean, if you look at CRT TVs. While they’re not as common anymore, they were still the most sold and produced TV when LCD TV’s started to appear on the market. Their production gradually decreased, it didn’t happen over night.
> > > >
> > > > You must make sure something functions properly, is easily produced and maintainable, or atleast easily replaced should one malfunction, before changing up on your tech.
> > > >
> > > >
> > > >
> > > > > <mark>The next big thing will be the race for that forerunner armada sitting outside the galaxy by Path Kethona, waiting to be used.</mark>
> > > >
> > > > The armada decayed, as far as I understood all the ships were useless. Millions of years of decay.
> > >
> > > Eh?? I thought it said it was all perfectly fine. Old forerunner tech but still formidable and it was waiting to be taken.
> > >
> > >
> > > <mark>Also…how can things decay or corrode in space??? O.o</mark>
> > >
> > > ~ Duck.
> >
> > Being bombarded by billions of micrometeorites each second and exposure to intense radiation will take its tool after a million years…
>
> Outside a galaxy you have significantly less matter. The gravitational pull of the galaxy pulls it in over billions of years. Decay really makes zero sense.
The Forerunner fleet was in the Large Magellanic Cloud, an irregular galaxy orbiting the Milky Way. There is plenty of debris available to bombard the Forerunner fleet.
And if it were outside of a Galaxy, it’d get bombarded at a much higher rate due to particles in the vicinity having little gravitational competition. The particles would essentially clump together as they got closer and closer to the fleet before literately pulverizing it with much more force than if it were inside of a galaxy.
