SGP: Dr. Catherine Halsey and the ONI Memorial

[Imppa]

Cold glitcher. The only reason Halsey is on that plaque is because they did not know that she commandeered the Beatrice and traveled to Onyx.

whoa, whoa, whoa, did she really take the Beatrice? as in THE Beatrice? as in the one that guided Dante through Heaven because Virgil wasn't allowed in? another interesting Dante reference. I doubt it was intentional, but who knows with these guys

I call coincidence; I don't think the Writer was very aware of Inferno.

[ColdGlider]

I call coincidence; I don't think the Writer was very aware of Inferno.

Eric Nylund not aware of Inferno?  Granted his background is more in Science than in Literature, but I very much doubt he's unaware of it.  Even if he avoided it before writing for the Halo universe, he most certainly had to read it later.  I'm willing to bet that it's even part of the legendary "Halo Bible' we always hear about.  The Inferno references are certainly known by a particular grunt-voiced writer responsible for ODST... and check out how cosy they are.

Ark?

[The Arkaeologist]

To my knowledge, the Beatrice first appears in First Strike, which was published in 2003 and which Nylund also wrote, but it doesn't seem that the ship was named until Ghosts of Onyx, which was published in April 2007.  (This is after a skim of Strike.  I don't own Onyx =I could be mistaken.)  So I would say since Bungie didn't begin work on ODST until 2008, either a) the name Beatrice is not a reference to the Divine Comedy but rather a happy coincidence, b) Nylund is originating the Dante connection here, or c) the Dante connection is part of the Halo Bible and existed prior to ODST as evidenced by Nylund's use of it.  In support of the idea of ship name as reference, Halsey does have tremendous guilt about her role in the creation of the Spartan-II's and her mission to Onyx, which she undertakes aboard the Beatrice, is, in her mind, an attempt to redeem herself:  "There was so much to do and so little time left for her, the Spartans, and the human race.  She could do something, though.  She'd save them one person at a time, starting with Linda, then Kelly, and then a handful of important others.  Of course, it meant betraying everyone who trusted her - but if that was the only way Dr. Halsey could save herself, and her soul, then she'd do it."  (p. 249, FS).  Though I don't immediately associate Onyx with heaven or hell (outside of its being a Forerunner construct), it is the location of the portal to the shield world, which is - or at least appears to be - a paradiso of sorts.

As for Señor Nylund, his role in the development of the Halo canon is unquestionable.  He is the author of (imo) the most important books:  The Fall of Reach, First Strike, and Ghosts of Onyx.  (Contact Harvest is also important, but it's still a prequel, i.e., it doesn't deal with John, Halsey, Cortana, etc.)  Nylund also wrote "The Impossible Life and Possible Death of Preston J. Cole" in Evolutions, so he appears to be Bungie's go-to person for fleshing out the lore.  (Cole appears elsewhere in the canon - Buckell's Cole Protocol is named after him - but it is here, in the short story, where we learn the most about the character.)  Nylund features prominently in the Halo Legends commentaries.  Unlike Dietz and Buckell, whose books are basically action pieces, Nylund is definitely more than a hired gun.

Plus, Lucifer is a character in his current non-Halo Mortal Coils series, so yeah, he's probably read Divine Comedy. Least he should have.  

P.S.  Here's an Weekly Update interview with Nylund where he discusses Onyx and the story process.

[Scatcycle]

To my knowledge, the Beatrice first appears in First Strike, which was published in 2003 and which Nylund also wrote, but it doesn't seem that the ship was named until Ghosts of Onyx, which was published in April 2007.  (This is after a skim of Strike.  I don't own Onyx =I could be mistaken.)  So I would say since Bungie didn't begin work on ODST until 2008, either a) the name Beatrice is not a reference to the Divine Comedy but rather a happy coincidence, b) Nylund is originating the Dante connection here, or c) the Dante connection is part of the Halo Bible and existed prior to ODST as evidenced by Nylund's use of it.  In support of the idea of ship name as reference, Halsey does have tremendous guilt about her role in the creation of the Spartan-II's and her mission to Onyx, which she undertakes aboard the Beatrice, is, in her mind, an attempt to redeem herself:  "There was so much to do and so little time left for her, the Spartans, and the human race.  She could do something, though.  She'd save them one person at a time, starting with Linda, then Kelly, and then a handful of important others.  Of course, it meant betraying everyone who trusted her - but if that was the only way Dr. Halsey could save herself, and her soul, then she'd do it."  (p. 249, FS).  Though I don't immediately associate Onyx with heaven or hell (outside of its being a Forerunner construct), it is the location of the portal to the shield world, which is - or at least appears to be - a paradiso of sorts.

As for Se�or Nylund, his role in the development of the Halo canon is unquestionable.  He is the author of (imo) the most important books:  The Fall of Reach, First Strike, and Ghosts of Onyx.  (Contact Harvest is also important, but it's still a prequel, i.e., it doesn't deal with John, Halsey, Cortana, etc.)  Nylund also wrote "The Impossible Life and Possible Death of Preston J. Cole" in Evolutions, so he appears to be Bungie's go-to person for fleshing out the lore.  (Cole appears elsewhere in the canon - Buckell's Cole Protocol is named after him - but it is here, in the short story, where we learn the most about the character.)  Nylund features prominently in the Halo Legends commentaries.  Unlike Dietz and Buckell, whose books are basically action pieces, Nylund is definitely more than a hired gun.

Plus, Lucifer is a character in his current non-Halo Mortal Coils series, so yeah, he's probably read Divine Comedy. Least he should have.   

P.S.  Here's an Weekly Update interview with Nylund where he discusses Onyx and the story process.

Quite possibly the longest necropost in SGP history, but I believe we may have found an answer to your proposal. The prophets, in their Halo 2 realization, seem to be a direct reference to Satan as depicted in Dante's Inferno. Their color and presentation order correlates exactly with Dante's Satan; here's some evidence: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1hbhMXBtE2QOB6F3hsy62UN7UdKFF1HO8emLPK_jDAJU/edit?usp=sharing . Additionally, their latin name (and this is original Bungie lore, not 343 lore) is Perfidia vermis, or Worms of Treachery. Remind you of a certain circle ? There's also of course the biblical correlation: Isaiah 14:13 -"I will ascend to heaven; I will raise my throne above the stars of God; I will sit on the mount of assembly on the heights of Zaphon; I will ascend to the tops of the clouds, I will make myself like the Most High" (in reference to Lucifer). This supports your "c) the Dante connection is part of the Halo Bible and existed prior to ODST as evidenced by Nylund's use of it" point, and I think opens up the Halo universe to a whole new level of literary scrutiny.