Here’s a simple question: What does the Halo universe’s average human citizen know about current events?
I’m talking about Joe Six-Pack, the man on the street, the everyman, the voting public, or – if you will – the UEG’s civilian taxpayers. He or she might be a colonist driving freight between settlements on some backwater planet. He might be some dude selling hot dogs in an Earth mega-city. She might be a school teacher in a Reach suburb. You get the idea.
Forgive me if this is mentioned somewhere in the books, because I haven’t read them. But the game lore and expanded universe I know doesn’t give much detail. Let’s examine what might be learned from reading an Earth newspaper, and feel free to correct me…
What “average Joe” DEFINITELY knows:
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The Spartan program exists. We know they’ve been reported on in the press as a propaganda tool. And since Halo 4 they operate as a separate branch of the military. The public may have also figured out that Master Chief is “different” than his modern colleagues, since he’s… well, ridiculously tall.
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New Phoenix was attacked by an alien race that was not the Covenant. This is mentioned in a news report heard in the background during the opening cinematic of Spartan Ops Episode One. But it does not mention the name “Forerunner” specifically.
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The portal to the Ark exists. They may not know where it leads, but it would be totally impossible for the UNSC to cover up such a massive structure after the events of Halo 3. Given that, an average Joe probably also knows it is not Covenant technology. Enough independent civilian research would exist for the public to glean that even if the UNSC refused to confirm.
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The Flood exists, or at least did at one point. Like the Ark, the Flood would be nearly impossible to cover up after the events of Halo 3.
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The Covenant has fractured. The Elites’ roles in H2 and H3 were well known across the UNSC. The troops that fought against the Brutes alongside Sangheili would spread the news quickly to friends, loved ones, etc. Also the Arbiter was present for the memorial at the end of H3, which I think we can assume was a public event given the atmosphere of the cut scene.
What “average Joe” POSSIBLY knows;
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The Spartan II program was made using abducted children. We know that at least a few citizens have figured it out on their own, but has it become common knowledge? The UEG program started using volunteers for Spartan IV partly for moral reasons, but how much do their voters know after the Covenant war’s conclusion?
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What are the Forerunners? This is a big question. We know civilians are aware of alien technology outside the Covenant, but how deep does that knowledge run? They have probably figured out they were ancient, given the artifact on Earth was buried. Have they connected the event in New Phoenix to New Mombasa?
Outstanding questions:
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Does Joe Six-Pack know WHY the Covenant war happened? And what do they know of the political reasons for the Great Schism?
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Exactly how deep does their knowledge of Forerunners and relationship to ancient Earth go?
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Do they know what a Halo is? Do they know what the Ark was?
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What exactly do they know about the Flood?
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Do they know about Requiem or Halo 4’s events? This is a more complex question than it may seem. Alpha Halo, Delta Halo, and Installation 00 all saw engagements using single UNSC ships and relatively low levels of troops (or in Halo 1’s case, few survivors.) Those installations would be easy to keep under wraps.
But Requiem involved an entire UNSC battle fleet comprising of tens of thousands of personel. At least several thousand of those troops have died by the end of Spartan Ops. Their families would need to be notified. That many deaths in such a short time during “peace time” would raise questions in the general population. The troops’ families may even press the UEG for answers publicly.