Cortana, Covenant, and 6 more Halo facts to know for the show

No, Halo isn’t set on Earth, but our pale blue dot does exist in the Halo universe. The show’s human characters are either from Earth or are ancestors of those who left to colonize other planets.

The action in Halo’s first season mainly takes place on planet Madrigal. The planet, a human colony far from Earth, has been mentioned in the game series, but the show makes it much more important.

The Halo TV series is set in what’s called the Silver Timeline, separate from the Halo games’ canon. It takes place just as the alien civilization known as the Covenant begins to attack human settlements, in the year 2525.

The Covenant is not a single alien race; It’s a coalition of many species united by a religious fascination with artifacts of ancient beings called Forerunners. They’re waging a genocidal holy war against humans, who they see as a threat to their faith.

Spartans are genetically enhanced supersoldiers created through various military projects throughout the Halo timeline. They were first deployed to fight a secessionist movement in human colonies and later became integral to the war against the Covenant.

Cortana is Master Chief’s AI companion. Created by a UNSC scientist, she becomes a key figure in the Covenant war. In both the Halo games and TV show, she’s played by Jen Taylor.

The United Nations Space Command is the military arm of the united Earth government, though it assumes full control of the government in the game timeline. Essentially an authoritarian dictatorship, it tries to maintain goodwill through heavy propaganda.