Now only a couple of days away from its premiere, the new Halo series is already struggling with an early wave of mixed reviews, and the latest teaser will do little to quell fans’ fears about the Paramount Plus exclusive deviating heavily from the source material.
Back in January, it was confirmed that the Halo series would not be canon to the mainline story from the games, with Paramount dubbing this the “silver timeline,” a statement that’s then been followed by news such as Master Chief taking off his helmet in the show. At the same time, writers Kyle Killen and Steven Kane have put more emphasis on developing supporting characters, such as the other Spartans (like Soren-066) or newcomers like Kwan Ha Boo and Makee, who take the spotlight in the final trailer.
Just like the Halo characters posters that came before, Master Chief is not necessarily the main focus for this one minute showcase. Instead, the teaser mostly features franchise staples like Dr. Halsey, Captain Keyes and his daughter Miranda, as well as the new entrants. The new clip practically shows the entirety of the cast next to some of the motifs that will drive the story, although Master Chief only appears towards the end under the banner of hope.
The video does certainly tease the kind of role Dr. Halsey will have in the series, and the same goes Kwan Ha Boo and Makee. In fact, the latter introduces the concept of a human who was raised by the Covenant. While previous trailers have made clear that Halo will not be short on action in any way whatsoever, it’s the content of Master Chief's missions that may have fans worried.
A Halo series has been in development hell for almost as long as the franchise has been in existence, and even though initial signs pointed to greater adherence to the video games, by now it’s become clear Paramount's Chief is very different, and fans' memes show how bad it's being perceived early on. Unfortunately, Halo’s current rating on Rotten Tomatoes (a rotten 57%) seems to reflect most critics’ opinion of the series being an inferior show compared to many other great sci-fi series and movies out on Netflix, Amazon or Hulu.
Fan outrage has also accompanied that feeling, especially now that Halo's creative staff has come out to say the games were not as essential when writing the script. Considering there does seem to be some potential in the series, Paramount ought to find it fast, considering the very expensive Halo is already renewed for a second season.
Halo the TV series is set to premiere on Paramount Plus on March 24, 2022.
Source: @HaloTheSeries|Twitter