The Life, Impact, and Potential Future of Halo’s Echo 216

On May 7, 2518, 493 years from now, a man named Fernando Esparza is to be born on the faraway UNSC colony of Charybdis IX. Simply known as The Pilot, or Echo 216, of the UNSC Infinity by most Halo fans, this character was introduced through Halo Infinite's Discover Hope trailer that was shown at E3 2019, and he continues to be a hopeful, relatable, and intriguing addition to the Halo franchise. With the sixth anniversary of Echo 216's debut coming in early June, here's an in-depth look at Fernando Esparza’s life, impact, and potential future in the Halo universe.

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The Early Life and Home World of Echo 216

Despite having appeared as the tertiary protagonist in Halo Infinite, little is known about Echo 216’s life before his adventure with Master Chief and The Weapon on Zeta Halo in 2560. That said, it is confirmed that Fernando Esparza was born on the UNSC Outer Colony world of Charybdis IX in 2518, just seven years before the UNSC made first contact with the multi-alien-species religious hegemony known as the Covenant on Harvest, which led to the beginning of the Human-Covenant War. This would make Esparza eight years younger than Spartan-IV Edward Buck, who was born in 2510, and seven years younger than Master Chief, who was born in 2511. Nothing is known about Esparza’s family except that he has a wife and daughter who are currently unnamed.

In contrast to Esparza, there is quite a lot of information about his home world's past. Charybdis IX was a hotbed of human Insurrectionist activity before and during the early years of the Human-Covenant War, as seen in the novel Halo: The Cole Protocol. In 2535, after Insurrectionists began trading with Kig-Yar for Covenant weaponry through the asteroid settlement known as The Rubble, ONI dispatched Agent Akio Watanabe and then-Lieutenant Jacob Keyes to Charybdis IX to figure out from where this weaponry was originating. This mission ultimately went haywire, resulting in the death of Watanabe, at the hands of the Insurrectionists, and Keyes being forced to flee the system after Zealot Thel ‘Vadamee tracked the Covenant weapons to the planet. Shortly thereafter, the Prophet of Regret arrived and personally oversaw the glassing of Charybdis IX.

Halo Infinite’s Fernando Esparza was named by the actor who gave him his voice, Nicolas Roye, with both the character’s first and last names being based on the names of Roye’s childhood friends.

Echo 216’s Time Aboard the UNSC Infinity and Zeta Halo

At some point following the end of the Human-Covenant War, likely before the rise of The Created in 2558, Esparza became stationed aboard the UNSC Infinity as a civilian contractor. When Infinity was ambushed by The Banished in late 2559, Esparza escaped the ship's destruction aboard a Pelican dropship designated Echo 216. For six months, Echo 216 struggled to survive adrift in the Pelican, often looking at holograms of his wife and daughter, until he came upon Master Chief floating in Zeta Halo’s orbit. After reviving Master Chief, Echo 216 pleaded to go home but instead was reluctantly dragged along as the Spartan-II and The Weapon A.I. Began their campaign against Banished forces on the ring.

Here, Echo 216 helped transport the two throughout the ring and supplied them with UNSC vehicles and weapons at Forward Operating Bases. Eventually, Echo 216 was shot down by anti-aircraft cannons and barely avoided being killed by Hand of Atriox members Hyperius and Tovarus. Shortly after, Echo 216 confided in Master Chief, explaining that he wasn’t military-trained, that he stole the Pelican, and that he believed he was a worthless coward. Master Chief and The Weapon subsequently expressed their need for Echo 216, insisted that everyone makes mistakes, and indicated that they would not fail each other. On his way to pick up the two from Zeta Halo’s Command Spire, Echo 216 was captured by Blademaster Jega 'Rdomnai and tortured by Banished War Chief Escharum until the Brute was defeated by Master Chief.

Echo 216’s Potential Future in Halo 7 and Beyond

Three days after Master Chief eliminated the Harbinger and destroyed Zeta Halo’s Silent Auditorium, Echo 216 rescued Master Chief and the Weapon from an unknown section of the ring. It was then that Echo 216 finally revealed his true name of Fernando Esparza to the two, and he asked The Weapon what her true name would be before flying off to finish their fight against the Banished. Since then, no information on the trio’s status or whereabouts has been disclosed, nor has any information been released detailing more of Esparza’s past during the entirety of the Human-Covenant War. Despite this current lack of information, Esparza could still go on to play an important role in Halo 7 and other future Halo media.

For instance, Esparza could begin to play a role similar to Sergeant Avery Johnson's in the original Halo trilogy, showing off more of the common human side of galactic conflicts and being a source of comedy throughout campaigns. Esparza will likely continue to be a tertiary protagonist in Halo 7, continuing to help Master Chief and The Weapon in fighting Banished forces and reuniting scattered remnants of the Infinity’s crew. While glitches allowed players to pilot Echo 216’s Pelican in Infinite, Halo Studios could build upon that glitch, and Esparza’s newfound confidence, by creating a sequence where players get to pilot the Pelican as Esparza in a dramatic air or space battle akin to those seen in Halo: Reach and Halo 4.

Potential Books Following Echo 216

For a while now, many fans have requested to have more Halo media focused around, and taking place within, the 28-year-long Human-Covenant War. Esparza could be the perfect protagonist to follow in a Halo novel set during the war, possibly following his escape from Charybdis IX and shedding light on civilians' perspective of the Covenant’s genocidal acts. This potential novel could also explore more of Esparza’s family, as it’s hinted that his wife and daughter may already be dead. While Echo 216 may not initially seem as interesting or alluring as his Spartan, ODST, Marine, or even Sangheili counterparts, The Pilot has gone on to spotlight the civilian side of the Halo universe in a way never before seen in a Halo game.

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