Forward Unto Dawn is a live action mini-series leading up to the events of Halo 4 (scheduled to be released November 6, 2012). The series focuses around Cadet Thomas Lasky as he goes through military training and is thrown into battle, eventually leading to him meeting John-117, the Master Chief.
SPOILERS
Thomas Lasky is the commander of United Nations Space Command (UNSC) Infinity and its fleet when he receives a distress call from UNSC Forward Unto Dawn. The Dawn is Master Chief’s ship where he is in cryo sleep after the events of Halo 3. Upon hearing the message Lasky reminisces about his days in training on Circinius IV…
Decades before the events of the first Halo game, in 2525, this mini series ties directly into the story of the upcoming Halo 4 game. Mankind has begun to colonize space but there is still no unity among our kind as some insurrectionist forces, fundamentalists on some human outer colony worlds, fight for independence using terrorist tactics.
UNSC cadets are in training to be Orbital Drop Shock Troopers (ODSTs) at Corbulo Academy of Military Science to fight against human insurrectionists on the various colony worlds.
Cadet Lasky, having lost his brother (an ODST soldier) to the insurrectionists while on mission, still has reservations about the insurrectionists and their motives. Despite his abilities as a leader, he struggles with authority and chain of command during his training.
The SPARTAN II super soldiers are widely unknown to the public, with their lives and missions highly classified. In Forward Unto Dawn, one cadet is able to find evidence of the Spartans on a mission by accessing secure files. Mysteriously, the Spartans and ODSTs are fighting alongside the insurrectionists.
Master Chief must inspire Lasky to fulfill his potential as a leader and a soldier to fight against an enemy threatening to purge humanity from the Universe.
If you have read the Halo Universe books (like me, a huge nerd) you might speculate about what this mini series, and the upcoming game will feature. The flashback events in Halo: Forward Unto Dawn takes place presumably around the same time as The Fall of Reach, when humanity first discovers the threat of the Covenant. This would make Master Chief and his fellow Spartans around 15 years old.
The Spartans were trained from age 6 to be the most advanced soldiers mankind has ever produced. After training, they underwent physical augmentations to make them stronger faster and bigger. These enhancements crippled over half of the Spartans in training, permanently disabling their bodies. Shortly after these physical enhancements, the Spartans are paired up with the MJOLNIR program to give them their distinctive armor.
The new Spartans then tackle a vast array of insurrectionist bases with few casualties and a sterling combat record. After just a short while, reports from some of the outermost colony planets begin to appear and the Spartans find they have a new enemy. One of vast technological means and zealous conviction. The Covenant have found humanity and none of our worlds are safe.
The series is done surprisingly well. The action is a bit slow in the first couple episodes, but once the invasion gets underway, things escalate quickly. The CGI and live action combo works extremely well, and the acting is superb. All in all, a great mini series for all fans of the Halo series.
The last episode just came out. A real tear jerker of an ending that fully solidified two things: my hatred of the Covenant and the absolute necessity for more live action Halo films.
In the very end, we see some of the other Spartans (Kelly and another unnamed soldier) who are featured in the books. They are as young as the Cadets even though Kelly says their age is “classified.” We also hear the name of the human planet being invaded (Circinius IV) over the intercom communications of the departing Pelican.
All in all, I was very impressed. Excellent production quality and I want to see more ASAP!