I am an avid Halo fan, and regard Halo: The Fall of Reach as my favorite sci-fi book. Though it’s been a few years since I read it, I feel like I remember it pretty well.
When Halo: Reach came out, I pretty much dismissed it as non-canonical. However, I just saw the Halo Canon video on YouTube about the Battle of Reach (Halo Canon: The Battle of Reach Timeline - YouTube), and it seems to make sense to him, but it’l all just way too fast for me. I need to start from the beginning, and I am out of touch with some of the intricate canon related to Halo: Reach, as I didn’t get a 360 until a year or so after it came out.
So, here’s what I need to know:
- What are the ONI Data Drops? Where can I view them, and what should I expect from them?- What is Halsey’s Journal, and where can I read it?- Are there any other canonical materials I should know about to help me gain some understanding?I want to make sense of the timeline without having to crazy amounts of investigative work. I just want to find out what I need to re-play and read so I can say, “Ohhhh, so THAT’S how that works.”
Thanks, guys!
It is important to know that halo reach is canon, it is confirmed by bungie and 343 that it is canon and that all game canon is primary/main canon and all book canon is secondary/semi canon. all game canon rewrites book canon, the book has been rewritten twice to fit with the game better, and has been mentioned in comics and dr halsey’s journal. so basically all game events rewrite all book events that contradict the game, also the original 2001 print of fall of reach is no longer canon but the 2011 version is secondary canon. I have looked this up and have found that halo reach is 100% canon, I know this may not be what you where asking for but it is important to know. also dr halsey’s journal can only be acquired by buying the halo reach special edition and what it is, is that it is a journal that fills in all the plot holes that the rewritten book didn’t.
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> It is important to know that halo reach is canon, it is confirmed by bungie and 343 that it is canon and that all game canon is primary/main canon and all book canon is secondary/semi canon. all game canon rewrites book canon, the book has been rewritten twice to fit with the game better, and has been mentioned in comics and dr halsey’s journal. so basically all game events rewrite all book events that contradict the game, also the original 2001 print of fall of reach is no longer canon but the 2011 version is secondary canon. I have looked this up and have found that halo reach is 100% canon, I know this may not be what you where asking for but it is important to know. also dr halsey’s journal can only be acquired by buying the halo reach special edition and what it is, is that it is a journal that fills in all the plot holes that the rewritten book didn’t.
I appreciate your taking the time to reply, but this is absolutely not the answer I’m looking for. Because Bungie and 343 “say so” is not good enough of a reason for anybody with even a slightly skeptical personality. Having to fall back on the ideas of “primary canon” and “secondary canon” is a thing that Star Wars has to do because they have a large, fragmented base of canon writers who get in over their heads and aren’t careful. Halo’s universe had a more calculated and intentional beginning (courtesy of Eric Nylund, among others). The fact that Halo has had to double back rely on these complicated caveats says something about the people who are managing the canon. If you’re telling me that I have to have bought a special, more expensive version of Halo: Reach to simply be able to fill the plot holes that Bungie so recklessly and, more importantly, needlessly created with their last hoorah, then my respect for them is decreased.
I am willing to accept a reprint as the “overruling” copy, as the original was written so long ago that it couldn’t have accounted for future factors vital to the continued development of the franchise’s canon. But Reach, from what I currently understand, was completely unnecessary. They didn’t have to contradict what was already established, but they chose to because they figured, “Eh, we’ll just go back and change the stuff we don’t like.”
I’m sorry if I’m coming across as stubborn, but can you blame me? I’m frustrated! I’m looking for answers, and you come in here and say that it’s only canon because they say so, and that it only holds water because games overrule books. If you’re right, I’m not angry at you: I’m angry at Bungie and 343 for being irresponsible and not making their later creations fit in with the established and incredibly well-constructed infrastructure.
I’m sorry for shooting the messenger. Thanks for responding. But I need more answers than this! There are people who are much more confident that they’ve been able to fit everything together without having to just throw out what doesn’t seem to fit. Anyone else have some answers?