Summary
I’ll be the first to admit it: Paramount+‘sHaloTV show wasn’t very good, but I’m still frustrated by its cancelation. In its first season,Halowas universally panned by critics and audiences alike.It wasn’t a faithfulHaloadaptation, but it was also just mid-level sci-fi fare at best. I was surprised by just how muchHaloseason 2tried to correct course after its first outing’s missteps. Obviously, there were certain elements — theCovenant’s Blessed One concept, for starters — that the series couldn’t completely retcon or erase, but it certainly did damage control.
Master Chief’s (Pablo Schreiber) sophomore outing improved by strengthening its connections to the source material. No,I don’t think the execution was always top-notch, but the effort was certainly there. John-117 continued to show his face, butHaloalso leaned into the character’s lone-wolf mystique by picking off the members of Silver Team. In episode 4,Halo’s Fall of Reach storylineshowcased the series’ ambition. Even Kwan Ha’s (Yerin Ha) plot, although disconnected fromHalolore, teased the emergence of The Flood. It’s honestly a shame the show won’t wrap up its story withHaloseason 3.
Halo Season 3 Would Have Finally Told Combat Evolved’s Story
The Series Ended With Master Chief Reaching Installation 04
InHaloseason 2’s ending, Master Chief/John-117 rescues Cortana (Jen Taylor) and then races to the Halo ring to thwart Makee (Charlie Murphy) and The Arbiter Var ‘Gatanai’s (Viktor Åkerblom) plans. I actually thought it was one ofHalo’s better episodes. Packed with thrilling action sequences and impressive vistas,the finale finally sees John reaching the titular Forerunner superweapon. Capable of sterilizing the galaxy, the Halo ring is incredibly dangerous, especially under Makee’s control. Although it wasn’t primed to be a one-to-one adaptation,Haloseason 3 would’ve begunCombat Evolved’s story—finally.
Halo: Combat Evolved’s narrative [is] the definitive Halo story in many ways.
Since it was the first, I think ofHalo: Combat Evolved’s narrative as the definitiveHalostory in many ways. It was the first time we met Master Chief, Cortana, and the rest ofHalo’s cast of characters. The game not only introduced theHuman Covenant War, but the Forerunners’ plan for the Halo array and the parasitic, all-consuming Flood. These elements have been franchise staples, shapingHalo’s lore. Viewers wanted a more faithful adaptation when Paramount+’s series debuted, and delving intoCombat Evolved’s story would have been a great way to finally deliver a fan-favorite chapter.
Halo Timeline: When The Show Takes Place Compared To The Games
Paramount+’s Halo TV series brought Master Chief and the Covenant to life on the small screen - but how does the show fit the timeline?
Halo Season 2 Ended On Multiple Cliffhangers Which Makes The Cancelation Worse
From 343 Guilty Spark’s Introduction To Dr. Halsey’s Flood Infection, Halo Leaves A Lot Unanswered
Aside from the promise of finally adaptingHalo: Combat Evolved’s story,Haloseason 3 was primed to answer some major questions and resolve several cliffhangers. While John is speaking withThe Monitor on the Halo, Onyx becomes overrun by a Flood outbreak. Not only does the parasitic, body-hijacking menace result in severalHaloseason 2 finale deaths, but Natascha McElhone’sDr. Catherine Halsey, creator of the Spartan program, becomes infected. Halsey’s daughter, fellow scientist Commander Miranda Keyes (Olive Gray), cryogenically freezes her mother to slow the Flood’s takeover, hoping she can find a cure. I would’ve likedsomeresolution.
What Happens To Miranda Keyes In Halo After The Season 2 Finale
Miranda Keyes has been given a very intriguing cliffhanger at the end of Halo season 2 with key differences compared to the original games.
Why Halo Was Canceled By Paramount+
The Video Game Adaptation Was Too Costly
Although Paramount+ hasn’t given a definitive answer as towhyHalowas canceled after two seasons,it’s likely that the sci-fi series was canceled over high costsand a tepid response from viewers. Some estimates put the show’s season-one costs at around $10 million per episode, while others reported the first outing’s budget was closer to $200 million (viaThe Guardian). Regardless, it was a staggeringly expensive show. Even though the second season turned things around somewhat, it ultimately wasn’t enough to recoup costs, win back fans' goodwill, or saveHalofrom its demise.
The first two seasons ofHalostream exclusively on Paramount+.
Halo
A live-action adaptation of the video game franchise of the same name, Halo follows Master Chief Petty Officer John-117 (Pablo Schrieber) as he fights his part in a war between humanity’s United Nations Space Command (UNSC) and the Covenant, an alliance of multiple hostile races of aliens intent on destroying the human race. The Master Chief is supported by Cortana (Jen Taylor) - an AI construct based on the personality of Dr. Catherine Halsey, who created the Spartan supersoldier program - implanted in his brain.
