I came across very interesting information regarding the Timeless One. TO is not who it says it is, as Greg Bear hinted at. The Timeless One is not the last Precursor. It was created by the Precursors, possibly one gone wrong. Have a look at these quotes from Halo: Cryptum.
“Or was it something manufactured by the Precursors- possibly a strange, distorted sibling of both Forerunners and (the Didact was reluctant to consider this) humans? Precursor sibling, or ancestor to … what?”-pg. 276
“The cell contained, in temporal suspension, a genuine monster: a large creature with an overall anatomy like a grossly misshapen human…”-pg. 277
“They are out there, waiting…Thousands of years wasted!The solution was lost, Father…Lost!If what the Old Ones made is loose…”-pg. 138
If you look at the quotes from the passage it implies the Timeless One is actually part machine. Kind of like the Engineers that the Forerunners crafted. This also makes a lot of sense regarding how the Timeless One survived the firing of Halo, also the quote where it says “They are out there, waiting…Thousands of years wasted!” Implying the Precursors are still out there waiting and are about to return in the upcoming Halos. Possibly they will show up at the end of Halo 4 as a cliffhanger.
A failed test… perhaps the first attempt at creating a Gravemind? Definetly possible.
And if he was a first test… that means others have followed.
“It is your task to kill this servsnt, so that another may be freed”.
This can be interpreted many different ways. But I see it as the Primordial saying that his death will cause others to come. Perhaps his death will finalize the test, the experiment, so that the complete “Primordials” can be created.
Ominous indeed, especially if it is actually foreshadowing.
Just like to point out the the Precursors have never been defined as a single species. A collaboration of creatures much like the Covenant, not too far fetched. Or an earlier stage of Forerunners, and 100,000 BC not being the first “Halo” incident.
We know nothing about them except that the Prisoner/Timeless One was a Gravemind.
> Just like to point out the the Precursors have never been defined as a single species. A collaboration of creatures much like the Covenant, not too far fetched. Or an earlier stage of Forerunners, and 100,000 BC not being the first “Halo” incident.
>
> We know nothing about them except that the Prisoner/Timeless One was a Gravemind.
He had to be somewhat part mechanical though because if he was a gravemind he should have died due to testing of the halo
> > Just like to point out the the Precursors have never been defined as a single species. A collaboration of creatures much like the Covenant, not too far fetched. Or an earlier stage of Forerunners, and 100,000 BC not being the first “Halo” incident.
> >
> > We know nothing about them except that the Prisoner/Timeless One was a Gravemind.
>
> He had to be somewhat part mechanical though because if he was a gravemind he should have died due to testing of the halo
He was protected by the Precursor prison and the timelock, most likely.
> > He was protected by the Precursor prison and the timelock, most likely.
>
> Even still I’d say Graveminds have some sort of mechanical aspect. Human Weakness really alludes to that.
> When the Gravemind begins accessing Cortana and feeding her memories. I think it mentioned the Gravemind also going through High Charity’s systems.
That doesn’t really mean the Gravemind has a mechanical component, just that it can access computer systems fairly easily. Considering the mass of intelligence it has, that’s not much of a surprise. The Gravemind even had control over Installation 05’s teleportation system.
The fact that it is accessing Cortana without a computer or anything like that, just it’s physical being is pretty clear evidence to me that it is somewhere along the line technology oriented. I doubt the Gravemind was talking to Cortana while using it’s tentacles to tap away at a keyboard.
Graveminds have interesting abilitys, especially when it consumes those who have knowledge of technologies. I believe it was able to access the High Charitys systems just as it was able to access Delta Halo’s Teleportation Grid and learn of its abilitys. I’m just not sure what you truly classify a Gravemind as, it can absorb Machines, Technologies, but is also quite Organic, In my opinion they were created to act as the ultimate parasitic organisms.
> The fact that it is accessing Cortana without a computer or anything like that, just it’s physical being is pretty clear evidence to me that it is somewhere along the line technology oriented. I doubt the Gravemind was talking to Cortana while using it’s tentacles to tap away at a keyboard.
The Gravemind is completely organic, but it’s been shown it can interact with technical systems in ways a normal organic being cannot.
> > Just like to point out the the Precursors have never been defined as a single species. A collaboration of creatures much like the Covenant, not too far fetched. Or an earlier stage of Forerunners, and 100,000 BC not being the first “Halo” incident.
> >
> > We know nothing about them except that the Prisoner/Timeless One was a Gravemind.
>
> He had to be somewhat part mechanical though because if he was a gravemind he should have died due to testing of the halo
I’m thinking the Composer has to do something with that. And a halo 4 quote of someone saying “ANOTHER one of those abominations?” or something along that line… connections connections :3
It is my personal theory that the Precursors employ several different of their manufactured species, their creations, to do their work. The Flood is the most prominent, but it’s possible they have more species to do their bidding. For instance, it is possible the Flood’s allies in the next book are something completely new yet not the actual Precursors.