Halo is a beloved video game franchise that’s spanned over 24 years. With six installments released and more in the works, the story of Master Chief, a supersoldier leading marines into space warfare against an unknowable alien enemy in Earth’s 26th century, has become a cultural touchstone for many, and the live-action adaptation of the same name — now available to stream on Netflix — spins the legend of humanity’s fight against the Covenant onto the silver screen.

The military sci-fi drama was adapted for television by Kyle Killen (Awake) and Steven Kane (Tom Clancy’s Jack Ryan). Halo stars Pablo Schreiber (Orange is the New Black), Natascha McElhone (Designated Survivor), and Charlie Murphy (Obsession).

When will Halo be released?

Stream Seasons 1 and 2 now.

Who’s in the cast of Halo?

• Pablo Schreiber (Orange is the New Black) as Master Chief
• Natascha McElhone (Designated Survivor) as Dr. Catherine Halsey
• Jen Taylor (RWBY) as Cortana
• Charlie Murphy (Obsession) as Makee
• Yerin Ha (The Survivors) as Kwan Ha
• Bokeem Woodbine (Old Dads) as Soren
• Kate Kennedy (How to Train Your Dragon) as Kai-125
• Bentley Kalu (The Wheel of Time) as Vannak-134
• Natasha Culzac (Men in Black: International) as Riz-028
• Shabana Azmi (Dabba Cartel) as Admiral Margaret Parangosky
• Danny Sapani (Black Earth Rising) as Captain Jacob Keyes
• Olive Gray (Sex Education) as Dr. Miranda Keyes

What happens in Halo?

In the 26th century, humans have colonized the Milky Way. But expansion comes with a cost: human insurrectionists are fighting government control for independence, and the resources needed for expansion are impoverishing people on Earth and other planets, putting them on a direct collision course with a hostile alien enemy called the Covenant. 

When the Covenant overruns a colony under human control, Master Chief (Schreiber)and his marines are deployed to extract as many survivors as possible. While hunting the Covenant, Master Chief (known as “John” to his team) discovers an alien artifact that unlocks memories suppressed by his supersolider enhancements — further weakening his programming’s control over his emotions. Aided by Cortana (voiced by Taylor) — an AI imposed upon him by Dr. Halsey (McElhone), chief architect of the supersolider program — John survives the battle to find one human, Kwan Ha (Ha) the teenage daughter of the rebel general, still alive. 

After learning the Covenant’s true purpose on the planet, the UNSC commands Master Chief to kill Kwan. Instead, John decides that he is more than just a loyal war dog and defies the order. The mysterious artifact reawakened his earliest memories of his family and a girl, Makee (Murphy) that he grew up with, and reignited a flicker of his humanity. John and Kwan race to escape the UNSC, and the Covenant’s scion sent to sway Master Chief to the alien’s cause — eliminating all of humanity to claim the Milky Way for themselves.

Is Halo based on a book?

No, but Halo is based on a video game franchise of the same name published by Microsoft’s Xbox Game Studios. The first game of the series, Halo: Combat Evolved debuted in 2001; there are six installments in the main franchise with multiple variations, spinoffs, and remasters for each installment.

Where does Halo take place?

Halo is set in a distant future where humans have colonized multiple planets in the Milky Way.

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