Executive producer and franchise creative director Frank O'Connor explains the Halo Infinite, was released on December 8 and helped build anticipation for the first television adaptation coming to Paramount+ sometime early this year.
While plot details for the Halo series are slim, it will chronicle an epic 26th-century military conflict between the United Nations Space Command and the Covenant, a theocratic alliance of multiple advanced alien species. Pablo Schreiber has been cast in the lead role as the beloved Master Chief, a supersoldier whose codename is Spartan 117. Jen Taylor voices his trusty AI sidekick, Cortana, reprising her role from the video game series. Natascha McElhone will take on the role of Dr. Catherine Halsey, a UNSC scientist who created the Spartan-II Project.
Now, in a new debriefing released by the official Halo Waypoint website, executive producer Frank O'Connor explains the Halo TV show's new independent timeline, which has been dubbed the "Silver Timeline" in reference to the central Spartan fireteam and the silver screen itself. O'Connor explains that the Silver Timeline allows them to use the "existing Halo lore, history, canon, and characters" whenever it suits the show, and also ignore it whenever necessary. O'Connor goes on to clarify that the game and TV show timelines will be very similar and at times parallel, but will ultimately remain separate. Read a portion of his explanation below:
We want to use the existing Halo lore, history, canon, and characters wherever they make sense for a linear narrative, but also separate the two distinctly so that we don’t invalidate the core canon or do unnatural things to force a first-person video game into an ensemble TV show. The game canon and its extended lore in novels, comics, and other outlets is core, original, and will continue unbroken for as long as we make Halogames.
To be clear: these will be two parallel, VERY similar, but ultimately separate timelines whose main events and characters will intersect and align throughout their very different cadences.
The TV show timeline – the ‘Silver Timeline’ – is grounded in the universe, characters and events of what’s been established in core canon, but will differ in subtle and not so subtle ways in order to tell a grounded, human story, set in the profoundly established Halo universe. Where differences and branches arise, they will do so in ways that make sense for the show, meaning that while many events, origins, character arcs, and outcomes will map to the Halo story fans know, there will be surprises, differences, and twists that will run parallel, but not identically to core canon.
Since the Halo universe includes various games, novels, and other media and features a story that spans millions of years, it is currently one of the most confusing and convoluted timelines of any intellectual property. Therefore, it makes sense that the creators of the Halo series would want to introduce an entirely new timeline separate from the games. This way, they can still pay respect to the core canon while also making the necessary changes for the linear narrative format of television, allowing devoted fans and newcomers alike to follow and enjoy the show.
The first full look at the Halo series came last month at The Game Awards, teasing Master Chief's origin story and the show's high production value (Paramount reportedly shelled out $200 million for the 10-episode season). Another Halo trailer is set to debut this Sunday during the AFC Championship game. While the show's new timeline is sure to ruffle some fans' feathers, the Halo showrunners are clearly committed to honoring the original canon, and that will hopefully show in the final product.
Source: Halo Waypoint