The Epilogue Speech

Games Other Halo
1

In Halo 4’s epilogue, we hear the Didact speak. He talks about the Mantle of Responsibility and considers the humans the greatest threat in the galaxy.

Here is a script of the epilogue.

Open on the city of New Phoenix. The sound of a Pelican can be heard in the distance.
Cut to within the city. Smoke rises from the streets and there are many abandoned cars.
Didact: In this hour of victory, we taste only defeat. I ask why.
Two Pelicans flies over the street.
Didact: We are Forerunners, guardians of all that exists. The roots of the galaxy have grown deep under our careful tending. Where there is life, the wisdom of our countless generations has saturated the soil.
The Pelicans land. Several troops come out of it and secure the area. One examines the ground with his instruments.
Didact: Our strength is a luminous sun towards which all intelligence blossoms. And the impervious shelter beneath which it has prospered.
Cut to John-117, walking down a hallway.
Didact: 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…
Cut to inside a UNSC armory. Numerous personnel and SPARTAN-IVs are seen below.
Didact: Humanity stands as the greatest threat in the galaxy.
Cut to SPARTAN-IVs being armored by machines.
Didact: Refusing to eradicate them is a fool’s gambit.
Sarah Palmer and another S-IV, who is running on a treadmill, turn to see John. The running Spartan almost trips in the process.
Didact: We squander eons in the darkness, while they seize our triumphs for their own.
Palmer walks forward, trying to get a better view of John. Cut to John, walking right past her. His size dwarfs hers.
Didact: The Mantle of Responsibility, for all things, belongs to Forerunners alone!
John walks to one of the machines, prepared to take off his armor for the first time in years. He steps in it while technicians around him prepare its devices.
Didact: Think of my act as you will.
The technicians free the bolts to his arm plates, allowing them to fall off.
Didact: But do not doubt the reality.
The machine frees John’s chest plate, also allowing it to fall.
Didact: The reclamation… has already begun.
John’s helmet begins to de-bolt as machines begin to lift it off.
Didact: And we are hopeless to stop it.
John’s helmet is lifted off. On any difficulty below Legendary, beneath the helmet there is only black. On Legendary, however, John’s adult face is revealed for the first time. All that can be seen is his brow, cheekbones, and bridge of his nose, while his eyes are shadowed.

Is it possible that this speech was not after the Didact’s defeat over Earth but rather at the end of the Forerunner-Flood-War? I guess that the speech in the epilogue was after the Didact used the Composer on the Humans, transformed them into his own Promethean army and fought the Flood. And then, he had to justify his dark deeds before the Ecumene Council.

2

That is entirely possible. The firing of the Halo Rings and the disappearance of the Forerunner are both events that haven’t been timed to the ending of the Forerunner-Flood conflict, so we don’t know to which victory the Didact speaks. We know that the Flood surrounded the Ark and if that is true then the “victory” of which the Didact speaks might be ensuring the sanctity of the Ark, using Composer-created human/Promethean Knight hybrids. Plus at this point, we don’t know if that was the Didact or the ur-Didact Bornstellar.

We also haven’t heard from the Presursor yet, which the Greg Bear books speak of in terms that make it sound like it was single-handedly able to make humanity run from the Flood and premeditatedly attack the Forerunner to eliminate Flood infestations. I think that the speech is primarily meant to reinforce the establishment of the concept that humanity are the Inheritors of the Mantle and that if that is true, then we must step up to the responsibility.

The Greg Bear books make it fairly clear that the Precursor is the ancient evil that has awakened. The awakening of the Didact may have triggered the release of the Precursor. Regardless, Greg Bears’ books are definitely pointing to the Precursor as the big bad of this trilogy. And Karen Traviss’ books have filled on how the Covies have come back to fight for the Didact.

3

Wow, that is a very decent commentary.

I agree on that the Precursors are the Ancient Evil.

And that thing about the Ur-Didact or Bornstellar-Didact … it is really confusing since – even after playing HALO 4 – we don’t know which one it was.

I have noticed that the Didact’s speech in the epilogue does not fit to what he says in the first Domain Terminal. There it is not him but the LIBRARIAN speaking of eradicating the Forerunners’ enemies (which I assume were the humans in that context). But the Didact warns her not to take revenge but instead sending them back to their space. He says the Mantle of Responsibility would guide them.

I guess that was the Ur-Didact – not just because of his different colors and armor. He seemed more peaceful.

The Librarian told the Master Chief that morale questions vanished from the Didact’s mind. That are hints that something between the Forerunner-Human-War and the Flood Outbreak must have happened. (Flood Outbreak = Forerunners make contact with the Flood)

4

I thought about it and there is also something interesting that I found:

The Didact said:

> “The Reclamation has begun. And we are hopeless to stop it.”

Is he referring to the Precursors that used the Flood to reclaim their own creations?

Halo Silentiums summay states

> "Now, in the last years of the Forerunner empire, chaos rules. The Flood – a horrifying shape-changing parasite – has arrived in force, aided by unexpected allies. Internal strife within the ecumene has desperately weakened Forerunner defenses.
>
> Only the Didact and the Librarian – husband and wife pushed into desperate conflict – hold the keys to a solution. Facing the consequences of a mythic tragedy, one of them must now commit a great atrocity to prevent an unmatched evil from dominating the entire universe. "

Aided by unexpected allies … Before the Didact wanted a peaceful solution by merely sending the humans back. Afterwards, he hated them so much, thinking they brought the Parasite to their borders. He considered the Humans the greatest threat in the galaxy. So what happened that made him change his opinion so drastically?

Was it just his mutation that caused rampancy? Or was it maybe the HUMANS that helped the Flood? Were they the unexpected allies? And is that why the Didact hates them so much?

Also there is the question as to why the HALO 3 terminals revealed that the Didact lit the Halo Arrays ALTHOUGH he was incapacitated and imprisoned by his wife BEFORE the end of the Flood-Forerunner-War and the Firing of the Halo Installations.

Was THAT the Ur-Didact? Or was it his incarnation?

5

whats a ur-didact?

6

Thank you for the script.

7

It very well could be. But honestly, the plot of this series has become like a bendy-pencil. There’s so much either left to speculation, or COMPLETELY contradicted between different novels/games, that everything might as well be non-canon anymore.

Halo’s plot was cool 5 years ago. Now it’s just a mosh-pit of overcomplications and confliction.

8

Some things to clear up, there are 2 didacts, not one, not one died and took over bornstellar, there are 2.

Short version:

Cryptum we have the Ur-didact and bornstellar. Ur Didact was said to have died at the hands of the master builder.

Primordium we follow Bornstellar with the didacts memories.

Now with silentium this clears up everything:

The Ur-Didact or original one is still alive, he comes back during the events of this final book. Bornstellar remains in control of the forerunner arimes while Ur-didact tries to find alternative cures for the flood.

Ur-Didacts devotion and hatred towards humanity blinds him, Librarian imprisons him in Requiem. Bornsteller or the Bornsteller Didact remains alive and fights to the end, he lights the rings and kills all life.

Now as for the story there are many things left over:

First the reclamation, this is referring to the plan the librarian had when Master Chief spoke with her, its not just humanity taking control of the mantle though, there is much more to it. During the events of silentium, we will see a hidden truth something much worse and the real reason for all this.

There is also one major lingering object we still need to see, something that has eluded many fans.

The Organon, the precursor artifact which could bring all their technology back.

If anything this could be the basis for the conflict. We know the Ur-Didact did what he thought was right but there is a reason why the forerunners were said to rebel against the precursors. We know more forerunners survived, after the war the surviving few forerunners left the milky way. Some precursors could have survived too.

9

> In Halo 4’s epilogue, we hear the Didact speak. He talks about the Mantle of Responsibility and considers the humans the greatest threat in the galaxy.
>
> Here is a script of the epilogue.
>
>
>
>
> Open on the city of New Phoenix. The sound of a Pelican can be heard in the distance.
> Cut to within the city. Smoke rises from the streets and there are many abandoned cars.
> Didact: In this hour of victory, we taste only defeat. I ask why.
> Two Pelicans flies over the street.
> Didact: We are Forerunners, guardians of all that exists. The roots of the galaxy have grown deep under our careful tending. Where there is life, the wisdom of our countless generations has saturated the soil.
> The Pelicans land. Several troops come out of it and secure the area. One examines the ground with his instruments.
> Didact: Our strength is a luminous sun towards which all intelligence blossoms. And the impervious shelter beneath which it has prospered.
> Cut to John-117, walking down a hallway.
> Didact: 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…
> Cut to inside a UNSC armory. Numerous personnel and SPARTAN-IVs are seen below.
> Didact: Humanity stands as the greatest threat in the galaxy.
> Cut to SPARTAN-IVs being armored by machines.
> Didact: Refusing to eradicate them is a fool’s gambit.
> Sarah Palmer and another S-IV, who is running on a treadmill, turn to see John. The running Spartan almost trips in the process.
> Didact: We squander eons in the darkness, while they seize our triumphs for their own.
> Palmer walks forward, trying to get a better view of John. Cut to John, walking right past her. His size dwarfs hers.
> Didact: The Mantle of Responsibility, for all things, belongs to Forerunners alone!
> John walks to one of the machines, prepared to take off his armor for the first time in years. He steps in it while technicians around him prepare its devices.
> Didact: Think of my act as you will.
> The technicians free the bolts to his arm plates, allowing them to fall off.
> Didact: But do not doubt the reality.
> The machine frees John’s chest plate, also allowing it to fall.
> Didact: The reclamation… has already begun.
> John’s helmet begins to de-bolt as machines begin to lift it off.
> Didact: And we are hopeless to stop it.
> John’s helmet is lifted off. On any difficulty below Legendary, beneath the helmet there is only black. On Legendary, however, John’s adult face is revealed for the first time. All that can be seen is his brow, cheekbones, and bridge of his nose, while his eyes are shadowed.
>
>
> Is it possible that this speech was not after the Didact’s defeat over Earth but rather at the end of the Forerunner-Flood-War? I guess that the speech in the epilogue was after the Didact used the Composer on the Humans, transformed them into his own Promethean army and fought the Flood. And then, he had to justify his dark deeds before the Ecumene Council.

*BIG TIME SPOILER

The only beef I have with your script is the end. His eyes are not “shadowed” they are full on black. Go to http://youtu.be/KPmBT08zcc4 and go to 1:50 then pause at 1:51. In Halo 3 and ODST, Bungie used the endings on legendary as a way to show you what is to come.

In the end, I guess it is all subjective but, I think when the librarian “fixed” him, there were some changes to his physical body. Time will tell

10

Great commentary, but what’s the Ur-didact?

11

> *BIG TIME SPOILER
>
>
> The only beef I have with your script is the end. His eyes are not “shadowed” they are full on black. Go to http://youtu.be/KPmBT08zcc4 and go to 1:50 then pause at 1:51. In Halo 3 and ODST, Bungie used the endings on legendary as a way to show you what is to come.
>
> In the end, I guess it is all subjective but, I think when the librarian “fixed” him, there were some changes to his physical body. Time will tell

That’s what I want to know about. When Forerunners were mutated, they could grow twice as big, look completely different, extra fingers, etc. What will happen to Chief?

Something else to consider: Halsey stated that Spartans were humanity’s “next step as a species”. Maybe that means more than she knows.

> Some things to clear up, there are 2 didacts, not one, not one died and took over bornstellar, there are 2.
>
> Short version:
>
> Cryptum we have the Ur-didact and bornstellar. Ur Didact was said to have died at the hands of the master builder.
>
> Primordium we follow Bornstellar with the didacts memories.
>
> Now with silentium this clears up everything:
>
> The Ur-Didact or original one is still alive, he comes back during the events of this final book. Bornstellar remains in control of the forerunner arimes while Ur-didact tries to find alternative cures for the flood.
>
> Ur-Didacts devotion and hatred towards humanity blinds him, Librarian imprisons him in Requiem. Bornsteller or the Bornsteller Didact remains alive and fights to the end, he lights the rings and kills all life.
>
> Now as for the story there are many things left over:
>
> First the reclamation, this is referring to the plan the librarian had when Master Chief spoke with her, its not just humanity taking control of the mantle though, there is much more to it. During the events of silentium, we will see a hidden truth something much worse and the real reason for all this.
>
> There is also one major lingering object we still need to see, something that has eluded many fans.
>
> The Organon, the precursor artifact which could bring all their technology back.
>
> If anything this could be the basis for the conflict. We know the Ur-Didact did what he thought was right but there is a reason why the forerunners were said to rebel against the precursors. We know more forerunners survived, after the war the surviving few forerunners left the milky way. Some precursors could have survived too.

This all is exactly what I’m thinking.

Geez, I can’t wait for 5 and 6. Hopefully they don’t try to dull the story down in fear of scaring people off; there are ways to make a complicated story simple.

12

> That is entirely possible. The firing of the Halo Rings and the disappearance of the Forerunner are both events that haven’t been timed to the ending of the Forerunner-Flood conflict, so we don’t know to which victory the Didact speaks. We know that the Flood surrounded the Ark and if that is true then the “victory” of which the Didact speaks might be ensuring the sanctity of the Ark, using Composer-created human/Promethean Knight hybrids. Plus at this point, we don’t know if that was the Didact or the ur-Didact Bornstellar.
>
> We also haven’t heard from the Presursor yet, which the Greg Bear books speak of in terms that make it sound like it was single-handedly able to make humanity run from the Flood and premeditatedly attack the Forerunner to eliminate Flood infestations. I think that the speech is primarily meant to reinforce the establishment of the concept that humanity are the Inheritors of the Mantle and that if that is true, then we must step up to the responsibility.
>
> The Greg Bear books make it fairly clear that the Precursor is the ancient evil that has awakened. The awakening of the Didact may have triggered the release of the Precursor. Regardless, Greg Bears’ books are definitely pointing to the Precursor as the big bad of this trilogy. And Karen Traviss’ books have filled on how the Covies have come back to fight for the Didact.

The only Precursor we know about died at the end of the second Greg Bear book. I suppose they could introduce new ones though.

I feel like 343 glossed over parts of the story to keep it simple for people who haven’t read the books.

13

We know this:

The precuserors designed much life in the galaxy. They decided if a race was worthry of living or not. If not or proved to be a problem, they destroyed them.

The forerunners were next on that list to be destroyed but rose up and killed the precusors instead.

We see that the flood are a test for humanity, to see if they could overcome the parasite. This plan was temporarily delayed for 110,000 years though thanks to the forerunners devolving humanity. But its starting again now with the reclamation beginning.

There is also much we do not know about the precursors or as to why they saw the forerunners as a problem. Knowing this universe, the Promethean are far from being the biggest problem.

As for the artifact the organon, the Ur-didact said it did not even exist, it was a fable. Bornstellar came to earth thinking it was there. Knowing the precursors, being the most advanced race in the universe, they would not have some fail-safe to ensure their goal. Ultimately what if humanity needs to overcome them?

For something in legend, it seems too good to just let sit out, I hope the new conflict is rooted somewhere around this artifact.

14

Cheesy,

It’s mentioned above, but simply, the Ur-Didact is the original Didact,viz a viz,the one that appears in Halo 4. The reason why there are two, which leads to some confusion, especially with the gaming-only folks, is that in Halo: Cryptum, the Ur-Didact imprints himself onto Bornsteller, who becomes a second Didact. Unfortunately the clues spread throughout the Halo games tend to confuse a person, admittedly even I’m still confused over a few.

But basically, the Ur-Didact went the route of an alternate solution (the composer) while the Bornsteller-Didact lit the rings.

Other can correct me if I got the basics wrong, the big mystery is the final chapters leading up to the Ur-Didact’s failure and imprisonment by the Librarian and the lighting of the rings by the Bornsteller-Didact.

Hope I got the basics right.

> Great commentary, but what’s the Ur-didact?

15

> Wow, that is a very decent commentary.
>
> I agree on that the <mark>Precursors are the Ancient Evil.</mark>
>
> And that thing about the Ur-Didact or Bornstellar-Didact … it is really confusing since – even after playing HALO 4 – we don’t know which one it was.
>
> I have noticed that the Didact’s speech in the epilogue does not fit to what he says in the first Domain Terminal. There it is not him but the LIBRARIAN speaking of eradicating the Forerunners’ enemies (which I assume were the humans in that context). But the Didact warns her not to take revenge but instead sending them back to their space. He says the Mantle of Responsibility would guide them.
>
> I guess that was the Ur-Didact – not just because of his different colors and armor. He seemed more peaceful.
>
> The Librarian told the Master Chief that morale questions vanished from the Didact’s mind. That are hints that something between the Forerunner-Human-War and the Flood Outbreak must have happened. (Flood Outbreak = Forerunners make contact with the Flood)

Precursors are only evil in the sense that forunners are evil to us:

The more advanced race is challenged for dominion over the galaxy. Each tried to eradicate the ‘lesser’ races and produced an army/last resort in spite of their demise.

16

> Cheesy,
>
> It’s mentioned above, but simply, the Ur-Didact is the original Didact,viz a viz,the one that appears in Halo 4. The reason why there are two, which leads to some confusion, especially with the gaming-only folks, is that in Halo: Cryptum, the Ur-Didact imprints himself onto Bornsteller, who becomes a second Didact. Unfortunately the clues spread throughout the Halo games tend to confuse a person, admittedly even I’m still confused over a few.
>
> But basically, the Ur-Didact went the route of an alternate solution (the composer) while the Bornsteller-Didact lit the rings.
>
> Other can correct me if I got the basics wrong, the big mystery is the final chapters leading up to the Ur-Didact’s failure and imprisonment by the Librarian and the lighting of the rings by the Bornsteller-Didact.
>
> Hope I got the basics right.
>
>
>
> > Great commentary, but what’s the Ur-didact?

No you are right, Ur-Didact is the original, bornstellar is more like a cloned extension.

When Ur-didact comes back during the events of Silentium, there is a mutual agreement between Ur and Bornstellar, as both are entitled to the rank the duties are split due to the crisis.

Ur-Didact still believing in the mantle wants to find alternative cures and ways of containment. Bornsteller continues the war to stop it or slow it the conventional way. Eventually Ur-didacts belief in the mantle and his hatred towards humans leads to him composing the test humans on installation 07. Librarian is pissed, Ur-didact basically broke his only moral belief, killing for the sake of peace, she gives him one big time out in requiem and Ur-didact is gone till the events of Halo 4.

Bornstellar remains and is basically the embodiment of the didact, the peaceful one librarian remembers. He tries to get her to come back into the defense line “where it is safe” she can’t blows up her ship to remain on earth as we were told, refers to it as Eden. Bornsteller and Offensive Bias beat Medicent Bias, a little later the rings are fired and all life (save those in the shield worlds, ark, requiem, and out of range of the rings) is killed.

Afterwards remaining forerunners leave for parts unknown. A fragment of Gulity spark however states he “knows where the librarian is” meaning she could have someone survived on earth, not known if she made it to the ark or somewhere else dependent on if she was somehow able to make it through.

17

I believe during that speech he is on trail defending his case to the forerunner council some 100.000 years ago after the human-forerunner war and such.