Biggest Unanswered Questions We Have From Halo Season 1

After years of preparation, delays, and changes in format, the first season of the "Halo" series has completed its run on Paramount+. Over the course of nine episodes, the show has its share of both highs and lows. There are some great references to the video games and several exciting action set pieces, but the live-action series also makes some significant changes to the source material. Master Chief is a wildly different character, events are shifted around a good deal, and some new additions set the story on a distinctly different path.

With "Halo" Season 2 already officially on the way, viewers won't have to wait long to see the next chapter in Master Chief's journey. That's a good thing too, as Season 1 leaves a number of big questions unanswered. The search for the eponymous Halo ring is still ongoing, and the fates of a number of central characters still hang in the balance by the time credits roll on Episode 9. "Halo" Season 2 has a lot of things to fix after a messy Season 1, but it also has a lot of plot lines to (hopefully) make good on.

From character deaths and desert magic to the Halo array itself, here are the biggest unanswered questions from "Halo" Season 1. Be warned — there are major spoilers ahead.

In the climax of "Halo" Season 1, Master Chief (Pablo Schreiber) makes a difficult (and perhaps fatal) decision. Because he isn't strong enough to fight off the encroaching battalion of Covenant forces, secure the Forerunner keystones, and save the rest of Silver Team by himself, he orders Cortana to take control of his body. She's unable to do so unless Chief himself is fully incapacitated, so he runs headlong into a losing battle and gets brutally beaten into unconsciousness. Cortana assumes control, completes the mission, and gets the rest of the Spartans to safety. However, even during the escape, it's unclear if Master Chief is still breathing under the helmet.

The Paramount+ series hasn't been afraid to make big changes to Master Chief as a character, and it's received some heavy criticism for doing so. Even still, killing him at the end of just one season is clearly a step too far for the show to take. John will be alive in Season 2 — that much is basically guaranteed. However, it's definitely possible that Cortana's override of his body could have some lasting effects.

Interestingly, the version of Master Chief seen when Cortana is in control is the closest the show gets to the video game character. He's stoic, precise, and he never takes his helmet off. Is it possible that the battle on the Covenant's holy planet has jolted John back into an emotionally reserved space? Could this be how the show gives fans of the games a more accurate take on the character? Or will he revert back to his normal self in the first episode of Season 2? Only time will tell.

Dr. Catherine Halsey (Natascha McElhone) accrues a pretty impressive and detestable rap sheet by the end of "Halo" Season 1. Kidnapping, murder, illegal cloning, brainwashing, perjury, manipulation, emotional manipulation — the list goes on and on. There are a lot of fascist and eugenicist undertones (and overtones) in Halsey's work, which are reflected in the show's portrayal of the UNSC as a whole. By the end of Season 1, it looks like Halsey is finally going to face some consequences for her egregious crimes, but she manages to get off scot-free.

After being apprehended by the UNSC, Halsey is sentenced to death, but she has a seizure before judgment comes to pass. Her daughter Miranda (Olive Gray) realizes that the captured Halsey is actually a clone, which means that her real mother is still loose out in the universe somewhere. McElhone's performance as Halsey is a highlight of "Halo" Season 1, so it's good to know that she”ll be back. What exactly the character will be up to, however, is another question entirely. Who is she working with now? Is it a secret group within the UNSC that wants to keep her talents in the lab? Or could it be some third faction? Either way, Halsey is sure to continue making trouble in "Halo" Season 2.

One of the new characters introduced in the "Halo" series is Makee (Charlie Murphy), a human abducted by the Covenant as a child who can commune with the Forerunner keystones. As a result of Makee's brutal history with humanity — basically being forced to work as a slave as a child — she's happy to help in the battle against her own race. That is, until she meets Master Chief, and sleeps with him, and — falls in love?

By no fault of Murphy, Makee's story suffers severely in the last couple episodes of "Halo" Season 1. She switches from one side to the other and back again at a lightning pace, with barely any time paid to her real emotional journey. Then, after returning to the Covenant with the keystones in hand, she gets shot by Kai (Kate Kennedy).

The last shot of Makee in "Halo" Season 1 shows her crumpled body on the ground, presumably lifeless after Kai's shot. Yet, it seems distinctly possible that she could return for Season 2. For better or worse, Makee and Master Chief share a powerful bond, and since no one checks her body in the Season 1 finale, there's certainly a way to explain her survival.

Kwan Ha (Yerin Ha) is introduced in the first episode of "Halo" as one of the central characters. After he is rescued from the UNSC by Master Chief, Kwan makes her way back to her home planet of Madrigal, where she learns some curious secrets about her ancestors and successfully takes down the villainous Vinsher Grath (Burn Gorman). However, Kwan doesn't feature at all in the last two episodes of Season 1, leaving her role in the future of the show a bit up in the air.

It's safe to say that Kwan's writing could have been stronger in "Halo" Season 1. She starts out in a promising position in the story, representing the ordinary people whose lives are devastated by the Human-Covenant War. However, most of her scenes repeat the same derivative patterns — rage against the machine, declarations of independence, and general hostility toward other people. Yerin Ha and the viewers of "Halo" both deserve better, so it should be interesting to see what the show does with Kwan in Season 2. The portal she discovers on Madrigal could prove invaluable in the ongoing search for the Halo ring, and there's a lot left to be revealed about her new role as a Protector.

Perhaps even more curious than Kwan Ha's future is the adventure she has on Madrigal in "Halo" Season 1. She returns to the planet in the hopes of restarting her father's rebellion, but discovers far more than she initially expected. Clues discovered in her old hometown lead her into the desert, where she comes upon a village of — witches? Mystics? Something along those lines. The women feed her a mysterious substance that causes Kwan to have wild hallucinations, although it's heavily implied that the things she sees aren't merely her imagination.

In her visions, Kwan sees her father and her ancestors before him. She also sees the well dug early during humanity's colonization of Madrigal, which holds a portal to an unknown location. Arguably most striking of all, Kwan catches a glimpse of a Forerunner Monitor, the robotic beings who oversee the Halo rings and other similar facilities.

That's all quite interesting, but it's never explained how Kwan is able to see these things. "Halo" dabbles heavily in all manner of science fiction tropes, but abject magic isn't really part of the games or the books. As such, the introduction of literal witches is pretty jarring. "Halo" Season 2 could provide some more insight into what actually happened to Kwan in the deserts of Madrigal — or the show could just as easily ignore the whole ordeal going forward.

After taking over Master Chief's body in the last episode of "Halo" Season 1, Cortana makes short work of the Covenant soldiers facing her down. She lays waste to a whole platoon of Brutes and Elites, gets every member of Silver team out alive, and even manages to nab the two Forerunner keystones for the UNSC. One thing Cortana fails to do, however, is go after the Covenant Prophets, all three of whom are hovering directly over her the entire time.

The Prophet of Truth, the Prophet of Mercy, and the Prophet of Regret are both the religious and political leaders of the Covenant. They may look old and frail, but they command immense respect and influence within the alien organization. Entire "Halo" games are spent chasing after the Prophets. So why, when presented with a golden opportunity and armed with perfect aim, doesn't Cortana even try to take the Prophets down?

At face value, this seems like a plot hole, but there could be another explanation. Maybe she was just too focused on the rest of her objectives. Maybe the UNSC, and therefore Cortana, don't yet recognize the importance of the Prophets. Or maybe she just ... forgot? None of those explanations are terribly satisfying, but one thing's for sure — the Prophets will continue to be a threat in "Halo" Season 2.

Miranda Keyes is one of the more intriguing characters in "Halo" Season 1. She's a high-ranking and well-respected member of the UNSC, but she also seems quite at odds with the organization's brutal sensibilities. By the season finale, she's clearly quite happy to watch her mother be executed for her crimes, and she's incredibly upset upon realizing that Halsey managed to escape. Miranda also acts very coldly toward her father, Jacob (Danny Sapani), in the Season 1 finale after discovering the extent of his role in Halsey's schemes.

Miranda is a key player in the "Halo" video games, so it's unlikely that she'll be leaving the TV series anytime soon. Will she be bumped up even higher on the UNSC chain of command now that her mother is gone for good? Will she prove instrumental in the investigation into Forerunner technology? Will her tangible sexual tension with Kai lead to anything? "Halo" Season 2 could have a lot of exciting things in store for Miranda, and hopefully it makes good on her potential.

Of the four members of Silver Team, Master Chief and Kai get far more screen time and character development than their compatriots, Riz (Natasha Culzac) and Vannak (Bentley Kalu). The latter two Spartans keep their emotional inhibitors in place for the duration of the season, making them far icier and more reserved than Kai and John. However, the revelation of Halsey's betrayal at the end of the season — how she kidnapped them, experimented on them, and lied to them their whole lives — clearly has an effect on both Riz and Vannak. They start to question the nature of the jobs, and they even show some sparks of emotion during the final episode.

Could that mean Riz and Vannak will remove their emotional inhibitors in Season 2, just as Master Chief and Kai have done? Potentially. They obviously feel conflicted about their previous allegiance to Dr. Halsey, and they may take steps to distance themselves from her influence. Master Chief and Kai have also proven that Spartans are still plenty capable in battle even after removing their inhibitors, which could encourage their squadmates to follow their lead.

Bokeem Woodbine's Soren is one of the standout elements of the Paramount+ "Halo" series. He brings instant charisma and infectious energy to every scene he's in, and he presents an interesting foil to the stern military minds of the UNSC. At the end of Season 1, he's back to his old life as a pirate and the de facto leader of the Rubble, a human colony built into an amalgam of asteroids. If the show stays true to the story of the books, however, Soren could be in trouble in Season 2.

In the "Halo" novels, the Rubble falls victim to a brutal Covenant attack that forces its residents to flee. Soren isn't a part of the Rubble community in that version of the story, but it's entirely possible that a similar assault could take place under his watch. Master Chief and Soren still have a lot of personal history, and it would make sense to contrive a way to make them fight side-by-side once again. With Dr. Catherine Halsey gone, Soren might even be willing to help the UNSC out from time to time — under the right circumstances, of course (which, given the whole fascism thing, might be hard to come by).

Regardless of the details, Woodbine is sure to deliver another entertaining performance as Soren in "Halo" Season 2. Leaving him out of future installments would be a huge mistake.

For a little while, it looked like "Halo" Season 1 might end with a journey to the actual Halo ring, but that ended up being a bait and switch. The Covenant nearly gets a complete star map of the installation's locations, but Kai shoots Makee before the coordinates are completed. Theoretically, the UNSC will be able to locate the Halo quickly now that they have both of the keystones. However, as long as Cortana continues to control John's body, that may not be possible.

It seems likely that the early episodes of "Halo" Season 2 will focus on the UNSC bringing Master Chief back after his ordeal on the Covenant holy planet. Cortana herself says in the Season 1 finale that she's not sure if she'll be able to bring him back after taking control. With that in mind, a good portion of Season 2 could center on the process of properly reviving John. After that, though, there's no excuse not to bring the show to the eponymous Halo.

Finally arriving at the ring itself could bring big changes to the show. The history of the Forerunners, the nature of the Halo rings, and the existence of the Flood — the zombie-like parasites that are the real big bad of the "Halo" games — should all be revealed once the installation is reached. Hopefully, all those additions will give "Halo" the boost it needs to achieve its full potential.

One of the most important events in the "Halo" timeline is the Fall of Reach, which results in the death of most of the Spartans and deals a massive blow against the UNSC as a whole. It's too big of a moment not to feature in the live-action series, and it could come as soon as Season 2. In the original canon, Reach's location is unknown to the Covenant for years, and they're only able to invade after discovering the planet's coordinates. If the show follows that same arc, then Reach could be in trouble in the near future.

After being taken into UNSC custody, Makee is brought to Reach and imprisoned there. She later escapes using a Covenant ship captured by the humans. Theoretically, even if Makee really is dead after the Season 1 finale, her ship would still have the coordinates for Reach logged into its system somewhere. That means that the Covenant could easily locate and attack the planet in Season 2.

In the original "Halo" timeline, the Fall of Reach directly precedes the discovery of the first Halo ring and the events of the first "Halo" game. It will likely take a slightly different form in the show, but all the pieces are already in place for a full-scale Covenant invasion.

The only Spartans who feature prominently in "Halo" Season 1 are the members of Silver Team and Soren, but there are many other soldiers from Halsey's program out in the universe. They're seen in flashbacks and referenced in lines of dialogue throughout the season, and as the war with the Covenant continues to heat up, more and more Spartans could show up.

Given the number of Easter eggs in "Halo" already, it would be fun to see the show adapt some fan-favorite Spartans from the games, books, and other previous stories. The members of Noble Team, for instance, who star in "Halo: Reach," could show up, or maybe even Jerome-092 from "Halo Wars 2." Alternatively, the Paramount+ series could keep introducing entirely new Spartans. The members of Silver Team — all of whom were created specifically for the show — are compelling, and writing some more new characters could help the series explore the effects of Dr. Halsey's work in interesting ways.

One of the big mysteries of "Halo" Season 1 revolves around the portal on Madrigal. What it is, how it got there, and where it leads are all unknown, but it's safe to make at least a few assumptions. Because of the scene that shows a Forerunner Monitor coming through the portal, it seems clear that the device is connected to the ancient alien race. In the games and novels, portals often connect Forerunner Shield Worlds, Halo rings, and other similar installations.

Still, the reason why Madrigal would have been of particular significance to the Forerunners remains unclear. It's possible that the portal leads directly to one of the Halo arrays and that the Monitor glimpsed in Kwan's vision is none other than 343 Guilty Spark, a recurring character throughout the original timeline. That could make Madrigal a central focus of future Seasons, even more than it has been in Season 1. Both the Covenant Prophets and the leaders of the UNSC believe that the Halo will win them the war, so if there's a way to it on Madrigal, both sides will likely fight as many desert witches as they have to in order to secure the portal.

Of course, once the humans figure out exactly what the Halo ring does, they might not be so keen to use it.

Despite the many familiar faces in the "Halo" show, there are still several classic characters who don't make the transition to live-action. Sergeant Avery Johnson, a stalwart battlefield ally of the Master Chief, quickly comes to mind. The Orbital Drop Shock Troopers of "Halo 3: ODST" would be fun additions. And, of course, the Flood and their eldritch leader, the Gravemind, will surely show up in villainous capacities at some point. However, perhaps the one character most glaringly absent from "Halo" Season 1 is the Arbiter.

In the games, Thel 'Vadam is an esteemed Sangheili commander in the Covenant army — right up until a major fall from grace puts him at odds with the Prophets and eventually pushes him into a partnership with humanity. Under the title of the Arbiter, an ancient rank sacred in the Sangheili culture, Thel 'Vadam fights alongside the Master Chief and helps save the universe from both the Covenant and the Flood. He's a playable character in several levels of "Halo 2," as well as the Player 2 character in all co-op levels of "Halo 3."

If "Halo" Season 2 spends a little more time with the Covenant, the Arbiter could be a great addition. Seeing his dynamic with Master Chief play out in live-action would be a lot of fun, and introducing a prominent protagonist on the Covenant side would open up a lot of exciting narrative possibilities.