Forerunner Summary Thread

[Frogwart]

I have to go with CaptainJack on this one.

Remember, armies don't always work in unison. History has seen many guerrila movements that use non-traditional tactics. These guerrila movements are often refered to as "armies."

The Flood's intelligence has not been exemplified in the Halo novels and gameplay thus far, with the exception of Gravemind. While it appears chaotic, the Flood "army" we've encountered so far has always had at least one goal in mind: kill Master Chief to prevent him from killing the Flood.

If the Flood had spread far enough through the galaxy to necessitate the firing of the Halo array, as we know they have at least once, 100,000 years ago, they'd have to have been numerous enough that one could not call them anything but an army...

[crymsonnite]

I find myself wondering if the Forerunners had a civil war take place among themselves... the poem int he e-mails seem to lend themselves to that idea, with lines like:

Waves of an army march this way in unison, Suffering and
corruption are its battle cries.
For I have known this darkness
and felt its embrace once before

If the author was an AI around during the war, or a Forerunner recently thawed out from a cryo-sleep, that would make sense.

you cant thaw out an AI cause its just a computer that thinks for itself...

he was talking about thawing out a forerunner and him being the author, or an AI being the author, not thawing out an AI and him being the author

also, many people here are refering to gravemind as a flood, very possible due to him still being alive
but its not a fact

and the theory of the moniters tricking the forerunners into activating it

always possible, maybe they let the flood go in order to kill their creators, their suppressors
maybe they revolted by letting the flood go

[Scelus]

I can't remember where, but didn't Bungie confirm that Gravemind was, indeed, A Flood?
Don't quote me on that. I can't quite remember and don't have the time to hunt it down...

[Frogwart]

But why is it not a fact that Gravemind is Flood in origin?

Again, from the endlessly useful Halo Story Pages @ halo.bungie.org:

"Gravemind is, as of yet, a mystery. Cognizant, emotional, and cunning, he is a guiding force behind the Flood found on Delta Halo 05. However, it is not known if he should be referred to as 'the' or 'a' Flood Intelligence, or whether he is a singular source/leader or a Flood form which will eventually grow under the proper conditions. It is also unknown how he manages to communicate with the other Flood and if he possesses motives and aspirations beyond the mindless hunger the Flood is typically known for. He does appear to be capable of some rather impressive feats: utilizing the Halo's teleportation grid, assimilating and linking with other life forms and machinery (Regret and 2401), and, in capturing John and the Arbiter, a sort of omnipresence. With the annexation of High Charity, its tremendous biological and technological assets, and the willingness of Cortana, the next move is certainly his..."

So, it's not entirely accurate to call Gravemind part of the Flood.

Personally, Gravemind looks a little too much like this for my tastes.

I never have liked musicals about man-eating plants.

[DHalo]

Not true. According to Halo3.com's character section, here is who Gravemind is:

"When the virulent Flood organism reaches a certain critical mass, it develops a centralized intelligence, which calls itself a Gravemind. This is the Flood personified, and it carries with it the genetic memory of millennia of slumber.

The thing was stopped once before by the Forerunner activation of the Halo weapon, but it will not be stopped this time by a weak alliance of ruined humanity or the deluded obsessions of the Prophet of Truth. The Gravemind intends to achieve its ultimate purpose - to consume and absorb every thinking creature in the Galaxy."

So, yes, he is of Flood origin.

[Frogwart]

I stand corrected! Or sit embarrassed...

Thanks for the info, D.

Looks like the halo.bungie.org story pages need a wee bit of the updating, eh?

[DHalo]

LOL, no need to be embarrassed. I've seen the content alot, as I had a large part in its archiving. Also, that reminds me, I should go backup the Server 1 site.

Oh, and yea, the story page is very rarely updated.

[Pak]

Not true. According to Halo3.com's character section, here is who Gravemind is:

"When the virulent Flood organism reaches a certain critical mass, it develops a centralized intelligence, which calls itself a Gravemind. This is the Flood personified, and it carries with it the genetic memory of millennia of slumber.

The thing was stopped once before by the Forerunner activation of the Halo weapon, but it will not be stopped this time by a weak alliance of ruined humanity or the deluded obsessions of the Prophet of Truth. The Gravemind intends to achieve its ultimate purpose - to consume and absorb every thinking creature in the Galaxy."

So, yes, he is of Flood origin.

That quote from halo3.com could partially explain why the halos are designed to eliminate host vectors and not the flood itself, without enough mass the flood remains instinctual and segmented, but with food it becomes highly intelligent and organized. Perhaps the point of starving the flood is not to starve individual carriers and infection forms, but to prevent the formation of powerful graveminds and the centralization of all host memories.
Sorry for being a little offtopic.

[Frogwart]

Not too off-topic, really, as any discussion of the Forerunner must include discussion of the Flood as well.

Excellent point, too. I've been thinking the Flood may have been created by the Forerunner as a biological weapon which then the Forerunner were unable to control.

[Fattierob]

"When the virulent Flood organism reaches a certain critical mass, it develops a centralized intelligence, which calls itself a Gravemind. This is the Flood personified, and it carries with it the genetic memory of millennia of slumber.
...

This explains everything Gravemind said in Halo 2.