The Endless, Forerunners and Precursors - Lore and Theory

[@factsoverfeelings1776]

The Endless in my opinion were created as a way for 343 to continue the story instead of finally giving Humanity the Mantle OF Responsibility. It allows them to keep making more and more content.

[@tTaseric]

IMO it's just them ramping up the threat for the 'final test' Story-wise, it wouldn't make much sense for the Flood to come back in full force immediately, so the Endless are the mid-point to bridge the gap between the Created and Flood.

[@g_kamikazi]

well, so was everything halo 2 onward

[@tTaseric]

@@EggEnjoyer Not really. The outbreak in Halo 1 only grew so large so quickly because literally noone else on the ring had encountered them, and both the UNSC and Covenant were unable / unwilling to unleash their full forces onto the ring. The outbreak in Halo 2 started almost 100,000 years before the game. The only reason they escaped Delta Halo at all is because the Arbiter unlocked the Quarantine Zone that just happened to have the In Amber Clad parked next to it. The fall of High Charity was a LOT of coincidences and accidents that snowballed into its full takeover. It was certainly impressive, but it's not like there's another buffet like High Charity sitting around waiting for the Flood to infect it.

[@tTaseric]

@@EggEnjoyer That's true in theory, but in practice, the Flood haven't displayed that level of threat since the Forerunners fell. Every single modern flood outbreak has been successfully contained by the automated Forerunner defences unless directly tampered with by a third party. The only times we see this tampering succeed are either by a lack of oversight or lack of knowledge. The Flood never got a foothold on Earth, despite Voi and the UNSC being easy pickings at the time. We later learned only a relatively small area of the continent actually had to be glassed to contain it. The stupidity / zealotry of the Prophets that allowed the Flood to thrive during the war no longer exists in any major way. The Banished, UNSC, and especially the Created are well-prepared and relatively well-equipped to deal with an outbreak should it occur. I'm not denying that the Flood is powerful beyond comprehension, but there's no way an outbreak would slip under the radar. And more importantly, 343 should never keep that off-screen. If the Flood are to arise again, we need to see (or read) it happen.

[@iiNgONYaMa]

@@EggEnjoyer an entire species. And the flood is a collective consciousness of the individuals then civilizations it overcomes. So it get more dangerous and challenging over time as it infests.

[@cerebralcloud92]

I definitely agree with this interpretation of what the whole idea behind the Xalanyn’s deal is, it feels like it ties every idea together much better than the Xalanyn themselves having control over time.

[@rigen97]

if the Forerunner let the Xalanyn live, they would control the galaxy and its future, and the Forerunner can't have anyone else do that now could they? Time favors the Xalanyn-that is, the Forerunner did not have much time remaining, and despite the totality of their imprisonment that the Forerunner arrogantly thought would last for all eternity...time ultimately brought even that strongest wall to ruin and freed the Endless.

[@jacobweatherford4696]

@@rigen97 dont worry because we know chief will stop them.

[@rigen97]

@@jacobweatherford4696 oh I'm not worried.

[@cruznix4741]

Especially when one considers that time travel has never really been touched narratively in the series ( with the only instances dealing with increasing the rate of entropy)

[@jacobweatherford4696]

@@cruznix4741 if they use time travel they better bring back Johnson.

[@Ba11leFieldAce]

Ya know, something that rarely gets mentioned is a line from halo silentium. Minutes before the halo array fired, guilty spark detected a new civilization sending their first radio signal into space. He thought it was sad that he'd never get to catalogue what the specifics of the new uncontacted civilization were. A couple hundred years after this, a random ship crashed onto sparks halo. This was also left completely untouched in the lore. I feel like all these events could tie into the endless arc.

[@curtisjaxon9345]

The ship crashed sometime in 50,000 B.C.

[@tombondcrispy6585]

Always thought that was a flood ship??..

[@Ba11leFieldAce]

@@tombondcrispy6585 it was never revealed to my knowledge. Even spark doesn't know what was in it, although it seems likely he knew at one point, but partitioned away the memory.

[@Ba11leFieldAce]

@@curtisjaxon9345 ahh yes you are correct, I just checked.

[@tombondcrispy6585]

@@Ba11leFieldAce some where i thought it said that like toxic fumes were coming out of it and the monitor was neutralizing everything

[@nexusomega1]

I find it interesting that Despondent states "They believe we are here to help" during the legendary cutscene. It doesn't sound like this statement was directed at the Criterion. If they couldn't be killed, is it possible that the Forerunners attempted to trick the Endless into imprisonment?

[@Sosuave95]

that’s exactly what it sounds like tbh. i don’t think the forunners had a issue with the endless. The fact that the endless survived the halo array,,,,,is scary af. what if the flood could consume the endless? that was the whole point of the array, to destroy all sentient life so the flood cannot spread. it seems like the forunners were afraid of something that they can’t understand “the endless” or rather something that can’t control. If you actually think of this the forunners actually ruined the galaxy, none of this shit would of happened if they never tried killing off the precursors. we would of never had the flood to deal with and hence everything else

[@thomasa5619]

@@Sosuave95 iirc, the halos were never supposed to be able to kill the flood. The halos killed the food. The forerunners never really used slipspace as a “time lock”. It was on an ancient human planet where they found the primordial in a time lock. Slipspace in even modern human applications warps time, and creates a kinda, separate mini universe, like the shield world onyx. So we have flood/modified precursors who can survive halo firings, and they were likely imprisoned in slipspace for study, which is also safe from halo

[@m0002856]

It wasn’t necessarily to trick them, but they did trick them. I’m wondering if like… the Endless are a race that was set up by the precursors, the firing of the Halo array is known to damage Precursor structures. What if the Endless existed on a planet entirely dependent on Precursor technology, and said technology also was the reason they went unknown until after the firing of the array? If they were the Precursor’s chosen, it would make sense that they would be protected. But the firing of the array not only removed their protective barrier keeping them from being found, but it also would have knocked all of their technology offline as well. This could be why they came to the Forerunners for help in the first place. They were freaking out because they no longer had any working tech, and the Forerunners used this opportunity to trap them under the guise of assisting them.

[@dallinhasfallen6138]

They aren’t immortal, chief killed the harbinger (probably). So I don’t know why the forerunners didn’t kill all the endless, it would have been so easy, and they had already just killed everyone else

[@quinn8599]

@@dallinhasfallen6138 we can't say it would be easy when the forerunners got their asses handed to em by the flood and feared ancient humanity at its prime. With them also being stated to be more dangerous then the flood then that means they wouldn't be easy at all

[@jakespacepiratee3740]

I have had a theory for a while that the Endless are a multi-species faction like the Banished or Covenant who are trying to claim the Mantle of Responsibility, and I have a LOT of evidence for this: We have already seen in the Skimmers, which are confirmed to be a separate species from the Xalanyn named the "Gasgira" on Halopedia. So already, we have 2 species, the Xalanyn (Harbinger) and the Gasgira (Skimmers) working together in canon...now, here is my more speculative-theory half of this idea: During her boss fight, the Harbinger can say to the Banished "Kill the Spartan! Earn your place among the Endless!" and she can say to the Chief "I might have let you join us...but no more!" and "We are Legion!" all of this together really really seems to hint to me that the Endless is a faction, with multiple species either forced or willingly working together to some goal that the Forerunners did not want. Specifically, claiming the Mantle. First of all, the round symbol on the Harbingers head is literally the Forerunner symbol for "Reclaimer" In the Harbinger's first scene, she says that "The Endless will be found. They will Ascend." - What does 'Ascend' mean? "If Humanity has not yet claimed the Mantle, than their ascension may yet be prevented." - Didact, Halo 4 "My ascension here on Genesis, it has always been the plan, John!" - Evil Cortana, Halo 5 'Ascension' is a term used by beings trying to claim the mantle, so the Endless are after this too. So yeah the Endless is a multi-species faction and they are trying to claim the Mantle of Resposibility. Calling it now.

[@cerebralcloud92]

So basically Halo’s version of the Tau.

[@jakespacepiratee3740]

@@cerebralcloud92 No, more like Halo's version of the Reapers from Mass Effect. I think actually joining the Endless would be very bad, you would have your free-will sucked away and your body mutated, and I think thats what happened to the Skimmers. You would be a slave just like how the Flood enslaves other species.

[@PackHunter117]

So essentially they are kinda like the Covenant? But instead of worshiping the Forerunners they hate them and wish to replace them!?

[@jakespacepiratee3740]

@@PackHunter117 They are trying to destroy the Forerunner's legacy, and claim the Mantle from them.

[@PackHunter117]

@@jakespacepiratee3740 Exactly. A gang of aliens that instead of loving and worshiping them wish to destroy their legacy and maybe destroy humanity because they’re aware that humanity was picked by the Forerunners or the “usurpers” to be the Reclaimers?

[@RedNomster]

Fantastic presentation brother, glad my ageless theory is reaching more people! Back down the rabbit hole I go 🕳🚶‍♂️

[@EDaly_D54]

At this point I don't think it's a theory! The way that the Forerunner books describe how the primordial was killed in the time lock, explains the Halo's effects and description too well. Also with how the shield world and the ark work etc. I believe the endless just complete the puzzle (also them being called the endless suggests they don't experience aging). Keep up this story telling 343i, because I love it!!

[@RedNomster]

@@EDaly_D54 I've done so much research since my theory video too - I can still only find supporting evidence. Recently, I found a direct connection between the Halo Effect and the Reverse Timelock Effect. The Halo Effect as @installation00 mentions is transferred via "crossphased supermassive neutrinos" (as described by forerunners themselves) Halsey found the Menachite Forerunner crystal; The artifact was of incredible potential, capable of warping space, energy, gravity, and even time. It was later used as a slipspace crystal. Slipspace ≈ timelocks. And... The crystal reacted with a burst of an unknown type (according to the unsc) of neutrino radiation at Halsey's touch. Ideally, the unknown neutrinos are synonymous with the forerunner neutrinos used to achieve the halo effect. 🤯

[@VeritasVortex]

This theory is absolutely amazing. Answers a lot of questions I've been thinking about over the years

[@isetbudsonfire]

Thanks for joining the lore party Red, you’ve added another favorite voice to the rabbit hole that is halo lore!

[@badzilla1173]

Good to see you here brother. Keep up the good work.

[@VeritasVortex]

This video is every Halo lore fan's dream come true. An absolute gold mine of information. Thank you for creating this video

[@Perroden]

A Halo lore fan dontlike contradicting lore

[@Liaison_Verequiem]

@@Perroden neither a fan who likes making something mystery like hur dur lazy bungie

[@Perroden]

@@Liaison_Verequiem what?

[@Liaison_Verequiem]

@@Perroden nor establishing what they were instead of hur dur subtlety. lazy

[@SatanicBarbeque]

@@Liaison_Verequiem 1 year later and this is still an L take. 343 is a joke of a company that wishes they could do what bungie did. Every game they've ever released has been a lazy contradiction of every game that was released before it, even their own games, because they can't figure out what they want to do with the franchise. Halo is dead, and 343 killed it

[@ALLMINDmercenarysupportsystem]

How does the halo community always come up with such incredibly good theories?

[@gmoney9469]

As long as there are mysteries in a story or vague areas up for interpretation, people skilled in story crafting can make it into something better than the end corporate product. Sort of like how Bellular takes the messy story of WoW and makes it sound incredibly deep and interconnected.

[@felixtla93]

Something bungie fanboys can't fathom by dismissing the books

[@ALLMINDmercenarysupportsystem]

@@felixtla93 I read most of the books. The ones I don't read I don't have access to.

[@felixtla93]

@@ALLMINDmercenarysupportsystem I'm just saying bungie fanboys dismissed the books like halo reach

[@ALLMINDmercenarysupportsystem]

@@felixtla93 I understand that, and that is probably because Bungie themselves took a very 'games first' approach to the lore.

[@cameronsims4108]

I believe that the Gravemind supports your theory about the forunners ruling the galaxy by proxy on the humans in a statement he made in Halo 3. On the mission where Chief went into High Charity to find and retrieve Cortana, the Gravemind spoke to Chief early in the mission saying " Child of my enemy, why have you come? I offer no forgiveness for father's sins past to his son." This implies a connection that Chief has with a flood enemy that predates Chief. An enemy who committed a great sin that cannot be forgiven, forgotten, and stains the lineage from father to son. If the Flood and the Precursor are the same and the Precursor viewed what the Forunners did with the halo rings as a great sin and implanted the humans so they can rule the galaxy by proxy. Then the humans have inherited the Forunner sins and became it's new sin bearer.

[@TheLivelovelaugh165]

It would also explain Guilty Spark's line in Two Betrayals, "Inheritor of all they left behind. You ARE Forerunner." Because the Forerunners mettled with human genetics to ensure they would continue policing their technology, they are Forerunner by continuing their legacy.

[@SCHMALLZZZ]

Humans were Forerunners in the OG Trilogy and lore from Bungie. It was 343 said humans weren't Forerunners.

[@mattstorm360]

@@SCHMALLZZZ True. But with this idea, the Forerunners want humanity to be the new forerunners.

[@dax9929]

@@SCHMALLZZZ actually it was in halo 3, that bungie decided that humanity was not forerunner

[@redraptorx1066]

true, but then there's the fact that they changed that in halo 3. 343i further added to this with ancient humanity being the first to fight the flood.

[@robertb.warren4749]

This video got me thinking. Much of the Halo mythology is centered around overcoming the limitations of the physical form. If certain members of the Endless transformed themselves to masses of energy - - similar to how the Precursors transformed into dust - - they could possibly survive the firing of the ring and achieve immortality. And if those masses could combine with one another and/or absorb energy from other sources, they'd be endless in both age and potential for power, as well as presumably incorruptible - - or their approximation of incorruptible. They would have the ultimate power to create and destroy - - the ultimate responsibility. Imprisoning them would be the only way to stop them if their plans didn't mesh with the desires of sentient life as a whole. It would also be the only way to steal that responsibility from them.

[@Lordoftheyeet]

Sounds a lot like what the forerunners were trying to do with the prometheans and the composer maybe the endless succeeded where the forerunners failed

[@WolfeSaber]

The Precursors' view of the Mantle sounds like the force from Star Wars.

[@troopergames8173]

Agreed

[@haloinfiniteisagoodgame1163]

pretty sure its the same concept, based around the universe being somewhat sentient

[@troopergames8173]

@@haloinfiniteisagoodgame1163+ love the name

[@haloinfiniteisagoodgame1163]

@@troopergames8173 why thank you

[@lelandmiller5965]

I love this new theory. This is all new levels of seasoning to the Halo pallette.

[@mattstorm360]

A sweetness to the universe if you will.

[@The_Unchained_One]

This is the best Halo channel on KZbin hands down. Halo has been my favorite game franchise since it began with C.E. and I've read many of the books. The detail and time you put in your videos is unparalleled.

[@docbaker3333]

My personal theory is that the Endless and their subspecies the Skimmers were a servant race of the Precursors serving as there intermediary due to their masters/creators reclusive nature. So their hatred of the forerunners is a combination over their rage over being imprisoned just because they were an unknown variable in the Halo Project and their already existing loathing of them due to them committing de-facto genocide against the precursors.

[@maritimesteak8540]

Excellent idea I thought about them being servants of the precursors as well

[@benthomas2232]

When I was fighting the Harbinger in her boss fight, she called out to the Banished troops defending « Kill the Spartan, join the endless.” When I heard that, I began thinking that the endless wasn’t a species name, but instead a group. Xalanyn is the name of the species

[@jakespacepiratee3740]

She has 3 lines like this, being "Kill the Spartan, and earn a place among the Endless!" "Prove your worth to the Endless!" and finally, to Master Chief, she can say "I might have let you join us...but no more!" So it seems like the Endless is a faction, lead by the Xalanyn. Similar to how the Covenant is lead and created by the Prophets, but comprised of multiple species.

[@benthomas2232]

@@jakespacepiratee3740 It’s just annoying that the majority of Halo Infinite’s playerbase and the occasional lore fan says that the endless are a species

[@Jermrants]

@@benthomas2232 because still it wouldn’t make sense if they are a group, HOWEVER it’s NO surprise the primordial was On that ring AND was killed via timelock… that begs the question what TRULY WAS HE? A mutated precursor is what we’ve been told, but Honestly I’m starting to think BOTH the guardians and the warden eternal are based off the harbingers species and the Primordials which I think are one of the same, just not the Full version, And the skimmers look EXACTLY like Flood do, and draw similarities with the flying Promethean creatures from H4. They may just be a group, but they are absolutely related Genetically

[@benthomas2232]

@@Jermrants And I’ve been thinking, the Guardians bear such a resemblance to the precursor AI Abaloth. Maybe the guardians aren’t Forerunner in origin.

[@Jermrants]

@@benthomas2232 they can’t be honestly, especially if the domain was MADE by the precursors, I have a weird feeling they mimic exactly what they were supposed to look like to remind the forerunners that they “truly” don’t run the galaxy or control anything, “the endless” and “the flood” obviously share similarities So Even tho I may be missing a bunch of context and details, The guardians truly resemble EXACTLY how the primordial was Described to be, Just in a complete “organic” flood Version, imagine we fight that thing in a game down the line or something 😂😂😂😂😅 I think the flood can absolutely infect them tho, maybe the primordial was JUST an endless Infected by the flood, I mean the Didact did mention he had “multiple species attached to him”

[@madness0169]

I feel that The Endless will be another huge threat to Humanity. Just like other main enemies like the Didact, the Prophets, Atriox and The Created. In other words, the Harbinger completed her mission to give the key to Atriox to free The Endless.

[@HugoStiglitz89]

Bam!

[@quenter1392]

Atriox already had the key, you can see a hologram of it in one of the first cutscenes of escharum. She gave him the location where the endless are stored.

[@madness0169]

@@quenter1392 I meant to say that. I just said the wrong words.

[@gamermagnum]

She most likely didn't know that atriox was Alive though, and Cortana 2 said that the frequency for the destination was very very old. So it couldn't have been atriox. Most likely either an ai like mendicant or even the primordial.

[@whalehands]

The Halo 4 end cutscene has always been one of my favorite but there was one thing that I think 343 made a stupid mistake for or, maybe they did it intentionally. When Chief first meets Capt. Palmer she says "I thought you'd be taller". Which to me is unbecoming of what makes a Spartan a Spartan. Then in the end cutscene we see the Spartan 4s in awe of the Spartan 2 Master Chief. His size belittles them by a foot or two. I just always found those scenes to be interesting.

[@thechicagobox]

Absolutely brilliant. It makes perfect sense to me. It would explain a few things too, such as why humanity was targeted by the pre cursors.

[@johne.4884]

From the harbinger speech, I tend to think that the endless were witnesses to the forerunners genocide of the precursors, and imprisoned to prevent knowledge of the forerunners crimes from getting out.

[@thedigitalrealm7155]

I actually love this Theory. It turns the firing of the Halo array from a noble, selfless sacrifice to save all sentient life into a stubborn, almost petty last attempt to either retain the mantle, or ensure nobody could take it. Without a food source, the flood would have died out eventually had the rings not been fired. So the net effect would have been the same. The rings just did it faster. I think I prefer this because it lines up with previous questionable acts and decisions the forunners have made. It would also help explain how the didact came to believe the way he did.

[@THExMETAL666]

I completely agree it lines up with the didacts ego and arrogance in his species abilities and intellegence. He had a sense of superiority hands down so this actually lines up perfectly

[@rooster2268]

I thought the Precursors had chosen humanity to hold the Mantle, and that was what led the Forerunners to destroy them. I remember hearing that in another video somewhere.

[@TheLivelovelaugh165]

That is the Forerunner's lie. Diadact clearly rejects this because he was in the time capsule and never got the memo (or just despises humanity that much). After the Forerunners were rejected, the Mantle was going to be held by the Endless. After killing literally everyone, except the Endless, who know they were rightfully chosen, they were detained and the story that Human holds the Mantle was made up.

[@mxm23adregalusandmore62]

I thought that used to be canon. The lore needs better writers since it's getting pretty confusing at this point with the amount of retcons and plot holes they introduce, lol

[@The_Raven_]

Same

[@shimsy41]

I'm way late to the party, but I was basically on the moon this last year. But yeah you're right. Installation 00 didn't mention ancient humanity in reference to the mantle in this video. But the Forerunners were passed over to hold the mantle and humans were selected to be tested next. That's why the forerunners killed the precursors. All that is still canon, 00 just didn't dive into humanity's role in the Forerunner-Precursor genocide.

[@TW19-b5z]

Yea, this was written for halo 4, a change from the previous story which claimed humans were forerunners

[@m0002856]

For a secondary comment on the Precursors specifically: I’m actually not a huge fan of the direction they took them in the latest book with there being good and bad precursors. I always liked the idea that the precursors were just shepherds of the universe set to seed life, have life grow and make experiences, and then devour it all into the Flood for the purpose of communicating the “sweetness” of the universe back to itself. But now it seems like the Primordial and the Flood were truly just anomalies.

[@scottvergin4732]

My view is that the humans were the ones who the Precursors chose to be the holders of the Mantle of Responsibility. The Xalanyn’s are just one of the species that happened to come to the Milky Way after the firing of the Halo array

[@ungooy]

There has to be a limit I think on the time-lock aspect. The Didact was meant to meditate inside his Cryptum, with access to the Domain. So that implies some level of thinking and access to an external database was meant to be possible.

[@curvingfyre6810]

Its likely that they cannot fully control time. They most likely slow it down massively instead.

[@isaiahfisher2337]

I've kind of had a version of this theory bouncing around in my head for a while now... that the Forerunners' big lie was that humanity AREN'T the real "Reclaimers," just the Forerunner's "Chosen" reclaimers. It's possible that humans are even a subspecies or primitive form of Forerunner. The two species do look relatively similar (In comparison to other aliens in the Halo Universe, that is.) That and the fact that humans have been heavily implied to be forerunners in the past, have been compared to them by the Flood and Covenant, etc. And I can't imagine humanity's approach to the Mantle will or would be anything close to the Precursor's. From all I know about humanity, we're just as afraid of pain, death and suffering as the Forerunners were. We just don't yet (Even in the Halo Universe) have the technology to pursue immortality and galactic hegemony. Honestly, I can't for the life of me think of why the Precursors would ever choose US to uphold the mantle.

[@mitchell3593]

To be fair the version of humans that the precursors knew, I could totally see upholding the mantle

[@schnoz2372]

I mean they didnt choose US they chose humanity a long time ago before the forerunners betrayed us

[@watch50er]

I had thought the forerunner “truth” was more along the lines that firing of the halo arrays was necessary, but the endless show that there was another way to fight the flood… if the forerunners had been willing to relinquish their control of the galaxy and turn what life there was from vassals to evolved Allies to foster life so it could fight back with the forerunners rather than the forerunners trying (in vain) to conquer the whole galaxy back from the flood. And the parity of the endless shows that not only was it possible, but it could have made the halos unnecessary. But that may only be a small part of the bigger plot of forcing the forerunners to violate their own philosophy and effectively end up doing more or less what the precursors would have wished as you’ve outlined

[@midgetman4206]

I prefer this over the mortality take. That seems to simple while this has more depth. Not necessarily them giving up the reigns but more so that they held pride in their work and wanted to be the saviors. If they had worked with allies, perhaps the firing of the Halos could have been avoided. Somehow working the ruins into this, either from respect or for a more practical reason (maybe even both). And hopefully having them be ancient Forerunner and/or Human, I'd rather them not be these new guys (yeah, they can be cool, but they won't be that cool)

[@rsoxboy]

Most people are probably overthinking this. I highly doubt 343 or Microsoft have any intention of trying to explain in a video game that the Endless are somehow biologically immortal and therefore cannot be killed by a Halo ring firing. That has bad sci-fi movie vibes all over it. I think the explanation for being able to survive a Halo firing will just be explained by the Endless' ability to zip in and out of space like the Harbinger does during her initial cutscene and during the final fight in Infinite with Chief. Or maybe it will just be explained by a particular peculiarity about the Endless' genetics... or it won't be explained at all.

[@thenightscythe2030]

I believe that the Endless are the Primordial's answer to the Promethean's... As to say, perhaps they are similar Digital version's of their species, before they turned themselves into Dust.

[@FeedMeSalt]

When speaking for over 10 minutes straight it's a good idea to hide water breaks. Near the end you could use a drink lol, fantastic video as always

[@nadelcnu]

That makes the Halo rings so much more terrifying. Imagine being stuck in your mind for the rest of the cellular life of your brain. It would drive you mad until you die of resource starvation. The forerunners are monsters.

[@andrewbutton2039]

It occurs to me that killing everyone with the halo array and then instantly melting their bodies is 2 steps where the second would probably suffice, but its stated that a thousand plans were tried and failed, so i can only assume the forerunners tried to use a solute to melt the flood and it failed somehow, which answers my question before I ask it. Considering the theory that the halo array accelerates entropy in the nervous system, would it be less energy intensive to take the oldest natural death of all the known species as the benchmark, and say set the halo array to create entropy quintuple that known age, that would kill everything with a lifespan less than 5 times older than the oldest known living creature, then anything biologically immortal or just extrodinarily long lived would survive. I would think a billion years of entropy would take a magnitude more energy than a million, and the forerunners were a bit low on spare power for hardlight stuff, so maybe they cut a few corners where they though nobody would notice or thought it simply may not matter.

[@haloinfiniteisagoodgame1163]

my personal headcanon is just that they were an exciled faction of precursors that the forerunners didnt know about and it goes both ways, that the endless didnt know about them

[@MarcusWolfWanders]

you and your community consistently bring mind-boggling concepts to my brain. I've read all the books, but y'all just continue to expand upon and make better the universe that I'm so invested in. I'm in awe.

[@Jayleon72]

in broad strokes this is similar to the theory I had, so I heartily approve of this idea. My theory was to do with neurophysics and the Domain. The Domain is a Precursor creation based on neurophysics that the Forerunners adopted at some point. Ether because they had access due to their original relationship with the Precursors giving them access or that they were able to seize it after the Precursors were "defeated". Once they had it in their possession , the Forerunners used it for storing their knowledge. Their history it was the basis for their communication. Their education. All the while they due to their limited grasp neurophysics, The Forerunners didn't truly understand it's true purpose: It was a trap. The Forerunners then went on to spend millions of years growing the garden of the Galaxy, the roots of life growing deep under their stewardship. All the while relying on the Domain which helped them fill the Galaxy with life, their knowledge growing, the Domain subtly influencing the Forerunners civilisation and technology, and allowing them to store all their knowledge and allowing anything the Forerunners might develop to truly challenge the power of the Precursor or Flood to be lost or corrupted over time. The Forerunners would occasionally notice missing or incomplete information, or realise they had lost some knowledge here, or indeed gained some knowledge they didn't realise they had but due to the timescales involved it was just a what happened over fast stretches of time. They never felt they were stunted, indeed they became more and more powerful and confidant in their abilities as time went on. realising they were being nudged, ever slowly because

[@komet_13]

I LOVE THIS THEORY! everything has sense, and the precursors are diabolic xD to force the forerunners to kill all life or whether everything is consumed in the galaxy by the flood is a double win. They hit in their ideals. however I suppose the precursors knew that all the species were indexed for being reintroduced again after halo, in the way of reseting the galaxy as you say. But... if the flood wins? how ere they to re introduce the life in the galaxy? or just wait millions of years for low pluricelular life to evolve and be sentient?? because precursors knew that if flood wins there is nothing left to eat and the flood dies, making everything normal again.

[@CerberusGRivers]

There being a possible link all the way back into Halo 2 really peaks my interest. I always wondered about the ruins around Delta Halo. I see the flood still playing a big role but I wanna see something else. The reason why the flood are so feared. Like a none cannon series of missions exploring a flood infestation through the pov of a marine.

[@randomizerteleviewage307]

The ending bit on the stone ruins reminds me of the video that Ascend Hyperion did on Sandtrap and what secrets it could possibly have. As time goes on, the knowledge of what he said there and now what you're saying in this video has me more and more convinced that some of the Endless could have also been imprisoned at that location (presumably the Ark) as well. On top of that, you have all of those strange inscriptions all over the ruins in Sandtrap that make a return in Infinite at various locations relevant to the Endless, like where you fight the skimmers for the first time, and really just about everywhere during the final mission as you get closer to the Silent Auditorium. Moreover, in that same mission you even see another hologram of a Guardian in the same art style as the one on Epitaph in H3, also likely in the same desert as Sandtrap which happens to have even more of those same inscriptions throughout the map. Leaving me double convinced that those old H3 maps are other sites meant to imprison the Endless. Seriously, if you guys haven't seen it, go check out Ascend Hyperion's video on it. It's really interesting stuff to consider, especially after having watched this video.

[@zerofindy]

Another possible sight would maybe be the halo reach map Solitary. Copied from the halopedia page: "The security spire’s damaged interior only hints at the terrifying power of its previous inhabitant."

[@rbo7]

My theory is very similar. But instead of the Forerunners failing the test, the Forerunners were never supposed to be tested. They were made by the precursors to serve them. The Xalanyn were tested, they failed and the timeless one is the gravemind left over from that. Hence why he is the only thing to ever survive a halo. He is a gravemind made up of Xalanyn. And it explains him being trapped in a Precursor chamber, unable to leave. After the Xalanyn failed, the Forerunners were probably expecting to be chosen, but humans were chosen instead, the Forerunners then killed them in a hostile take over of the mantle.

[@redfalconsmdx]

Imo, that honestly sounds much more plausible and pleasing in general. Besides, we create game to mostly satisfy our ego as humanity and it's not like we have encounter any xenos in the current day and age yet. Watching the video I was constantly asking in my mind. "If it was a lie, a facade afterall. Then where do humanity fit in all this? Were we just a collateral damage? Didn't Halo always revolve around the story with Humanity at it's center?"

[@rbo7]

@Red Falcons thanks! I totally agree, humans are the center of the verse so having someone else be the true Mantle holders is just odd to me.

[@thenightscythe2030]

Interesting

[@justsomehalofan4386]

Maybe the reason Atriox and the Banished are also intrested in the Endless is because they learned about them being an immortal specials. And they want to figure out how to become like them (maybe by genetically modifying themselves with Endless DNA), so they can become immortal too.

[@Kyte001]

I thought the Rings also destroy the physical bodies of living things as well. The terminal video on Two Betrayals's map showed a lifeform's body getting hit by the Ring's pulse and disintegrate.

[@THExMETAL666]

Had the same thought. They could’ve rewrote certain details about how it works the guys that write the Warhammer stories and lore do shit like this so much it is genuinely hard to keep up with what’s cannon and not I’m just glad that 343 hasn’t done this too much

[@Tar_Ogre]

To somewhat spin off of this theory, Living time sees life and death as sweetness, but what if there is a balance to it, Yin and Yang per say. Living time sees sweetness in the balance of life and death and that the Forerunners view on the Mantle was a direct attack on that balance so the Flood were made to counteract that shift in the scale and bring death to the Forerunners Mantle of keeping things alive. The Flood would then as you say retreat and allow the Endless to reseed under the correct view of the Mantle resetting the galaxy as it should have been.

[@TheLivelovelaugh165]

In a way, the Forerunners were more all-consuming than the flood. They kept living, they kept suffering at bay, they built grander and grander structures that required whole planets to construct. They never had an end goal when to stop, they just kept building and lived a near emotionless life. Even when firing the Halo array, they couldn't understand what they did wrong. In a Forerunner's eyes, a stagnate life is perfect.

[@Tetrohedracon]

IMPORTANT! Does anyone else notice how the Graveminds head looks similar to the head of the Harbinger? The mouth is like flower pedals on and moves the same on both. Also both the Harbinger and the Gravemind said to Master Chief, "Now I shall speak, and you shall listen". I think there is clearly a link between the two.

[@brandonschultz642]

I've noticed that too

[@thenightscythe2030]

Hmmmm... I think that the Endless will have been created by the Precursor's... So with Time, they could indeed be linked with The Flood... Perhaps even corrupted by the Logic Plague like the Diadact was.... We shall see

[@LordWyatt]

I love this theory but I grow concerned with every new ‘ancient’ species introduced into Halo lore…it lessens the loss of the Forerunners, the Precursors, and their histories. I like the idea of the ‘Endless’ but I’m not sure whether it would be better to say they were Creators immune to creation’s Time, or Creatures who survived the largest Genocide in existential history (and that’s after Forerunners made/destroyed galaxies for their Tech). Yes the Precursors became the Flood and Forerunner Civilization still feels like Space-Rome that we can only reclaim…but look at this species completely unrelated and unmentioned until now…because the Forerunners lied about it and and covered it up and then they fought the Precursors and then and then and then…Halo!

[@josephcasper8803]

Honestly I feel like the endless are a group of aliens like the covenant Reason skimmers and harbinger herself

[@OniLink147]

You have 100% convinced me on this theory. I also have to say that I like the fact that if this theory is true, then humanity are no longer the "chosen ones".

[@kodredcud]

This is an absolutely brilliant theory (or set of theories)

[@Inukazan]

Okay so if the Halo rings rapidly age your nervous system so much and so fast that it literally burns it up from the inside, why does it only burn up the nervous system? It seems to me that hitting only a specific part of a creature's anatomy is way harder to pull off rather than just reducing said creature to effectively dust in the wind by overwhelming their entire biology in an instant. This should work on the flood to as well considering that this was how the primordial died? Weaponizing time always drags up a lot of questions that I can't help but ask.

[@AbdulBido]

Thanks for your dedication. I throughly enjoy these videos

[@mysteriousnobody2903]

It would be funny if 343 did all of the loose ends and such things so that the fans could figure out what happens next and they make that into the next story.

[@michelangelo9353]

I have a feeling that this analysis will age like fine vine. Had goosebumps all the way while listening to this.

[@pebo94]

I think "The Endless" are not just one species, but many. The term is just a classification used by the Forerunners for all species that survived the Halo firing.

[@thenightscythe2030]

This is definetly a new species to the Series.... After the Rings were fired, the galaxy was Re-seeded with species after... Forerunner's understood at this point, that their species needed to end at that point, so forerunner were not re seeded... The Endless will be a species that was intended to Survive the Rings(in this 343 narrative).

[@garretttekampe9564]

Really cool that you are highlighting red nonster's video. Love all of this and hope 343 can execute their new race in similar fashion and not botch the whole thing.

[@StrateTrippin]

Dang, this makes the story even more deep and actually seem like there is amazing writing from 343.

[@easyread-real]

I can't wait for the campaign expansion.

[@jakespacepiratee3740]

Halo: The Endless

[@aramiu_549]

Yeah this didn't age well 🥲

[@Maggai]

Wow, I love this theory! Everything fits together really well! Props to Red Nomster!

[@darkspy1277]

If i watch a video of halo it has to be yours, the way you explained augmentation like you do bio science was impressive 👏🏾

[@rubberducko3136]

Could it be that the Xalanyn are the "meddlers" that freed the Flood on Installation 05, and the ones who owned the strange crashed alien ship from the Halo CE? This would make sense to me if they really were the Reclaimers. Because the Flood are part-precursor at the very least. I wouldnt know a reason why they wouldn't want to release the only known thing still close to precursor from the ones who slaughtered them. Of course, if they do know that they are the remains of their creators.

[@Farhan-rk1mt]

Something just caught my attention: Grand Edict:When it is done, the Engineers will get busy. Will we see the return of the Engineers(Huragok)? And related to this, does this mean the Endless have some biomechanical parts?

[@WLFYI]

Enjoy your lore videos thank you for putting the time in to make ur lore videos

[@factsoverfeelings1776]

17:36 "The ultimate revenge to the were the Precursors creating the Flood. The Flood were a means to a reset". The Precursors used their abilities to transform themselves into a kind of "molecular dust". In this form, the Precursors intended to wait millions of years, hiding from their killers and waiting for the perfect opportunity to return to their past forms and exact revenge on the Forerunners. However, the DNA compositions of the powder became corrupted over time, and as a result, life forms that came into contact with it would experience insanity and even physical mutations. This was the very first form of the Flood, a parasitic life form that the Precursor dust would eventually mutate into upon coming into contact with humanity. The Precursors did not "create" the flood, it was simply the result of that dust being corrupted over time.

[@jacobweatherford4696]

You know retcons are a thing right?

[@WARZoNExKNiGhT]

look pal whether or not precursor turns themself into it or they "created" it in the first place, it will all ended up as the same conculsion cause they both had legit connection but I must say this guy like to talk like an person reading words to words out of a book and it does create confusion seems not just to the viewer but also himself apparently after I get that idea by watching multiple videos of his and realized that's just some serious bad habit that always finish up uncleaned and it makes me feel very uncomfortable... As long as you know where those content coming from... you should be free of the trouble of being confused or mislead and what he had said are actually exist on a different lore page site but I can't remember where it exactly were cause the whole story are like an vast freaking ocean like Knowledge base, It will test your patience to find out all the information that you need.......

[@masons3251]

The whole forerunners leaving an imprint on humanity as a form of continuing living idea brings a whole new light to 343 Guilty Spark saying "You are forerunner" at the end of Halo 3.

[@jakeg3733]

Xalanyn anatomy also has many similarities to what little we know of precursor anatomy and physiology. Either way very bad for Humans and other species. They might view the Flood as allies (and the reverse) and deliberately release that crap, which would be completely unstoppable, except that this is a video game series so humans have to win. If the things in Halo existed in real life I think we all know Humans would have gone extinct long before this point

[@whalehands]

Red Nomster really made a awesome trilogy of videos with these theories. I believe he has truly stumbled upon something.

[@strikeone7803]

Bro, this next levels writing here. Just like the Joker in Christopher Nolan's The Dark Knight the Precursors forced the Batman/Forerunners to break their one and only rule (You shall not kill/You will protect all life in the Galaxy) and despite being technically "beaten" the damage done was enough and still felt years/eons after the act.

[@TheKingclayton87]

How could the endless have created rings on the halo older than the forerunners if the forerunners created the rings?

[@jdoxpears]

i think it was suggested those rings were excavated and moved to the Halo? In the game i mean. I could be remembering wrong

[@belmontxr100]

I figured they imprisoned them so that the flood wouldn’t have food after the firing. Although the cutscene makes it seem like the forerunners just didn’t want them surviving and being able to tattle on what they did

[@Newbsicles]

Also the precursors were supposed to be able to live and die multiple lives over just so they could experience it. It's silly to think that the fore runners could actually kill them off completely. I think their understanding of the living universe and neural physics made them immortal to conventional means. They were at least a multi galaxy civilization, if not multidimensional, this is all just another test for the Mantel.

[@BobBob-up8fz]

I can't wait to see what happened to the Infinity in future DLC. Also if Lasky and Roland (Ai on the Infinity) survived.

[@VantasticVoyages]

The only question I have is why do they look totally different in the cylex's? I reckon the endless are a species of sentient self replicating von Neumann machines... Maybe

[@andyeggar8729]

I had a theory based off of the audio logs . When the caretaker of zeta halo was discussing how this halo was “built differently” and the structures on it were “older than the forerunners” it made me think the Endless weren’t precursors, but instead were imprisoned by the precursor. From what I understand about the halo universe, when the forerunners whipped out the precursors they couldn’t destroy any of their structures. Because the star roads and the domain were made from neural physics. And they built their capital around a precursors structure. What if they did a similar thing on zeta halo. Built it connected to the prison that had the endless inside. Then when the halo’s were fired when it destroyed the domain, it also destroyed the prison, releasing the endless. And something that both the precursors and the forerunners feared would definitely be a huge threat. Any thoughts?

[@andyeggar8729]

And when Cortana said “ there are things on this halo worse than the flood” it made me think that she had that fear because of information she got from the domain. She wouldn’t have any reason to “protect the forerunners truth”. But she still was extremely afraid of what they could do.

[@elementlgaming4629]

Vary interested in seeing more about the endless

[@sorrenblitz805]

I dont agree that the Xalanyn were the intended holder of the Mantle. Harbinger calls you "Reclaimer". That means she recognizes that Humanity are the Reclaimers. I think the real reason the Endless are so feared is because their immunity to the Halo means that should the Flood get them the Flood could gain immunity from the Halo from consuming them. Then there would be no way to stop the Flood. Im pretty sure its already been confirmed that stone structures were built by re-primitivized Humans whod been brought to Zeta Halo and other installations for experimentation by the Didact.

[@blazkull]

Interesting ideas, so far I still like the idea that humans could hold the mantle.

[@tr3yize]

Your content is brilliant! I just happened across your channel and am so glad that I did! Thanks for your perspective on the lore, absolutely enthralling content!

[@DerrEtCetera]

I doubt 343 has put this much thought into the Endless, but I prefer this explanation.

[@crossseigfried]

My thoughts are that humanity is the reclaimer of the mantle of responsibility. Cause if the mantle of responsibility that the precursors believed, that pain and death are a sweet part of the living universe. Then a creature that has by technicality the ability to live eternally, essentially is missing a part of the mantle of responsibility, which is death. That being said, I think the truth of the mantle is somewhere in between the interpretation of the forerunners and the precursors. On one hand, we have the preservation of balance in the Halo universe on the other the innate nature of living beings to care for and protect others. These are two concepts I find intricately woven here. Provided of course the reasons each faction has been selfish in their rhetoric, there is still that tiny bit of goodness they sought to do. Preservation is a part of living and death another part of it.

[@mauricerose3082]

"The Artifact, or The Portal, known to the scientific community as the Excession at Voi, is a Forerunner artifact in Kenya, Africa on planet Earth, designed to generate a slipspace portal to Installation 00. It was buried between the town of Voi and the city of Mombasa, and uncovered by the Covenant during the Battle of Earth in late 2552. According to the messages from a Forerunner known as The Librarian contained throughout the Terminals on the Ark, the artifact on Earth was the last of numerous gateways constructed throughout the galaxy, and was buried shortly before the activation of the Halo rings. An ancient African elder named N'chala witnessed its construction by Retrievers. The Artifact itself was formed from a disassembled Gargantua-Class Transport."

[@voyager6709]

i love your content and just throwing a idea for a future video out there. could you do a most detailed breakdown on the AV-22 Sparrowhawk?

[@cruznix4741]

The endless being a collective of which the xalayln is a part makes more sense then the endless actually being a species. Perhaps what we see in the end cutscenes is an aspect of the endless collective

[@jameshersom2536]

What if the xalayln are the evolved form of the precursors that somehow survived and you only have a few left so they created the endless like how the covenant formed to be a religious cult looking for the halos. The endless could be the exact opposite of that but still the enemy of the humans at the end of the day.

[@117flood4]

The same recipe that went well with Combat evolved with the Flood is now being copied with Endless for Infinity. Formula is to allow half spread info to keep the interests alive for next versions as business model.

[@timarensdorf3630]

I love your comment stating "the truth is the truth, even if nobody believes it. As well as a lie is a lie, even if everybody believes it."

[@Aaron-Fife]

Here's the only question that wasn't answered with your theory: why did the Flood save Humanity from extinction during the Human-Forerunner War if the Flood was aware of The Endless?

[@PackHunter117]

Maybe the endless hid themselves before the Halos were fired and so the Flood didn’t know where to find them? Then they revealed themselves after the Halo Array went off and while the reseeding efforts went on the last Forerunners discovered them and freaked out? And the rest is history?

[@Swat117117]

Might be wrong but didn't the Flood only do that so that they could trick the Forerunners (who were all up in humanity's business) into thinking there's hope for immunity from the Flood? Flood can't trick the Forerunners using The Endless if the Forerunners don't even know they exist right?

[@OfficialFedHater]

The flood were really kind of herding humanity towards forerunner space which inevitably led to conflict. Had the flood simply went for them both, they might have united against the flood and that would have been bad for the flood. It's kind of brilliant really, they pushed conflict between the humans and forerunner and then when the forerunner find out about the flood, they back off from the humans who thought they made a cure and the forerunner thought humans cured the flood so they kept being antagonistic towards the humans to find the cure instead of allying with them.

[@m0002856]

Well aside from retcons probably making this make more sense, I’d assume it’s just because they wanted to spark a conflict between Forerunner and humanity. They achieved their goal, but, for some reason, they decided it wasn’t necessary for them to keep fighting. Why they decided to come for humanity when they did is another mystery. These are the plot holes I wish they hadn’t created by giving the Flood a backstory :( I don’t think the Flood needed to be explained so deeply, and now we’re left with stories about how the Flood favored humans and chose not to infect them but then decided to scrap that idea come Halo CE for reasons unexplained.

[@PackHunter117]

@@m0002856 It’s because the Forerunners went extinct by CE. So the Flood didn’t care to pick favorites anymore. Plus the Flood in the beginning is comprised of animalistic beings instead of very intelligent hive mind beings.

[@connormcintosh4828]

The only place Mt theory differs is over the meaning of the reclaimer symbol on the harbinger, I think the endless are meant as a type of trial for the reclaimers.

[@mrxxsesshomaruxx9642]

I love your videos man, so freaking good as a Halo lore fan, love listening to them while I do some room cleaning and organizing :)

[@Voltaic_Fire]

There is a difference between a truth and a fact, the former is subjective and the latter is objective. Look up the 3 blind men and the elephant for more details.

[@ArouzedLamp]

I think its crazy that BOTH the male Precursor's voice and the H2/3 gravemind have the same voice

[@DarkLawify]

Definitely thought provoking. A thought was provoked; is that if the Endless are infact biologically immortal, then how can they truly fit into the mantle of responsibility? Unless all those who hold the precursor version of the mantle must be able to live outside it's means, be that organically or augmented. In which case they truly don't live by it's tenants.

[@jacktaylor6253]

I hate when they hide important stuff behind the Legendary ending.

[@AxisChurchDevotee]

Fortunately you can play heroic and get the same ending.

[@eman8047]

I like the way this theory ties everything together so cleanly. I do have an issue though. I think the issue with the idea of biological immortality = immunity to entropy doesn't hold water to me. At least if we are assuming they are biologically immortal in the real world sense. If their biology was subjected to billions of years time passing they are still subjected to billions of years of entropy. The thing is that from their perspective all of reality around them would move at an infinitesimally slow pace. They would still need some form of energy and food to function. Unless they can survive without any external energy for ludicrously long periods of time comparative to the lifetime of stars they would eventually die anyway irrespective of their biological immortality. If we are looking at it from a more SciFi higher level physics then it should work fine. Just the mechanism would have to be esoteric.

[@rsoxboy]

Just noticed exactly how the graphical artists messed up during the cutscene where Chief first escapes from the Harbinger. At 11:33 there's an image where they scaled the Harbinger's image much smaller than it should appear. While she's zipping around, there's a brief moment where she becomes the size of a household pet and is looking up at Chief 😅

[@InspirationHouseNetwork]

"Your narration ability is epic!" (-James)

[@Skylancer727]

I think the rings are just Forerunner in origins. The rings inside of rings being their method of showing their endless nature as said by Despondent Pier. The main reason I think they're Forerunner is first, the data clusters connected to them are Forerunner files and the fact the design on the metal inside is the same as on certain walls and lights.

[@brendancarmona4521]

Funny how 343 said they would make the story easy to understand for newcomers.

[@Hopewell51]

I like how the Harbinger can survive a super weapon like Halo, but can die from small arms fire.

[@jordondepoti6637]

But wouldnt the Endless being unable to experience death actually take away from the sweetness of the Universe as described by the Precursors in their Treatise on the Mantle of Responsibility? Seems like the Endless not only are an afront to the Precursors Philosphy, but possibly even something not from this Universe. Remember the latest Halo Book about the Didact revealed they had technology that allowed for instantaneous travel by oscillating between specific coordinates across different timelines, landing back in their own time-space at the desired location in what seemed like an instant. This would not only indicate the Endless could come the multiverse, but that THEY MOST LIKELY SURVIVED THE HALO ARRAYS BEING FIRED USING THIS "vibrate between Universes" TECHNOLOGY/CONCEPT! FANTASTIC video man--would love more lore and theory content. The longer the video, the better, lol. 🤜❤️🤛

[@FPmpthree]

A bit of a dumb question, but why would there be ruins of another species on the halo rings if the rings themselves are forerunner made? I understand that ancient humans lived on the rings before, but why would the Xyalinen be on them to put those ruins in? And how would the forerunners not have known to them to present on them earlier on?

[@Dan_Therapist]

Even if biologically immortal they have to consume biomass to feed their nerves in those moments of the Halo's light aging their nervous system by billions of years.

[@quinn8599]

We don't know if they need to eat to sustain themselves. They were imprisoned for a very long time after all. It's not like they had giant fields of growable food awaiting you know

[@Dan_Therapist]

@@quinn8599 imprisoned in cylixies which are stasis fields so to them no time as passed while 10,000s of years have passed in normal space so your comment doesn't really address my point on the basis they didn't experience time at all Perhaps their nervous system is made of some eternal physiques rendering it immune to accelerated aging then perhaps that would explain it

[@quinn8599]

@@Dan_Therapist I mean aging was never a problem for any species in halo lets be real. Johnson was like 70yrs old and he looked ot be in his younger 30s-late 20s

[@Dan_Therapist]

@@quinn8599 there's aging and there's aging an organism billions of years while seconds to minutes pass in real time using a construct as was done to the Primordial in the halo verse. Those are wildly different and the Halo likely work on the latter. Read up on the lore

[@quinn8599]

@@Dan_Therapist no I'm aware. I'm just saying, it shouldn't be a big surprise. Look at halo wars 2 awakening the nightmare dlc. Not to mention the flood were on guilty sparks ring for millions if not billions of years with no biomass to consume. They had nothing to feed their bodies just how you mentioned the endless didn't have anything to eat for theirs. Now what I theorize for it is that maybe the endless are what the flood evolved into from maybe either A. Parallel universe of halo. Or B. They are a race from another dimension that got access to the halo mainline universe cause the forerunners did go to other dimensions

[@jonathanzimmer8143]

Isn't there lore (maybe someone's theory) about the rings violating causality to cleanse the galaxy faster than the 15,000 light year overlap delay? That would be a glaring oversight that the flood would surely slip through. Something about an echo detected of the array firing before they actually fired it, as it rippled across not only space but time. Chilling, insanely interesting concept, scientifically even (Penrose diagram - time and space flip beyond an event horizon). That and your entropy theory validate each other. So effing cool that's gonna keep me up nights thinking of the implications.

[@floatinjellies]

4:00 man as someone working in evo-devo biology- i just gotta say I love how wonky speculative fiction is. Like the immortal jellyfish can restart it’s life cycle by returning to a polyp stage- idk if we truly know the extent of it’s “immortality”

[@stanfordsan]

I got the impression that the endless were able to communicate backwards and forwards through time. Allowing them to send a warning back to themselves to survive the firing of the Halo array

[@EDaly_D54]

If that were true, they would never be captured.

[@stanfordsan]

@@EDaly_D54 true, maybe the forerunners were able to intercept transmissions (the weapon detected a presence during the fight with Harbinger) and lay a trap. Or I could be completely wrong. Time travel is pandoras box of story telling, anything is possible, and there are an "endless" supply of paradoxes.its why most writers stay away from time travel.

[@EDaly_D54]

I believe them being called 'the endless' also suggests that they don't experience aging. If their one trick was time manipulation, I think we'd get a more time-travelly moniker (for lack of a better phrase!)

[@RedNomster]

@@EDaly_D54 *Our struggle is ageless. It will not end here.* - Harbinger

[@stanfordsan]

Fair point