Canon Policy

From Halo: Daybreak

This page details Project Daybreak's stance on canon. "Canon" is defined here as sources taken as authoritative within the confines of the Daybreak Continuum's internal continuity.

Overview[edit | edit source]

What's next?

The Daybreak Continuum is best conceptualized as a Halo universe variant which intersects with the canon of 343 Industries' Halo universe in many areas, but not all of them. Needless to say, we are not trying to say what 343i should or shouldn't regard as canon, and that would be a pointless exercise anyway. However, in order to fulfill the project's guiding vision and create an interconnected, self-consistent continuity within Project Daybreak's own confines, it is necessary to establish what sources are accepted as part of that continuity. Official sources not listed as canon may be either partly or fully ignored, though they are sometimes used as inspiration.

As a general rule, most Halo media to come out before 2010 is considered canon within Project Daybreak, while media released from 2010 onward is not. 2009-2010 was selected as it forms a natural watershed moment in Halo's developmental history that marked the franchise's departure from the hands of its original creators; creatively speaking, any media released since would be tantamount to fan fiction anyway, disregarding legal technicalities.[note 1] In-universe, it also created an open-ended future for the universe, with the end of the Human-Covenant War in Halo 3. As the post-war period was gradually filled out with 343i's interpretation over the coming years, it became clear that any version of the post-war era that diverged from that interpretation would have to be established as an alternate timeline — not a reimagining or rebuttal of 343i's post-war era, but something entirely independent from it.

Picking and choosing Daybreak's continuity allowed us to both reassess many of the things now taken for granted about Halo's setting, and create something entirely new. Ultimately, some people will be unhappy with some of the specific exclusions we've made, but none of those were made without reason, and all ultimately are in support of our vision for the project. Part of Daybreak's charm is meant to be that it is different from 343i's version, and we also ask audiences to take that into consideration. Notably, media is not excluded merely because we don't like it; a number of sources we like in and of themselves are shifted to a semi-canon or apocryphal status simply because they no longer make sense with Daybreak's version of the setting (e.g. The Forerunner Saga). It's better to simply acknowledge those stories are part of a different universe than to try and awkwardly force them into our interpretation, while also taking inspiration from the parts that do match with ours.

It should also be noted that canon is never 100% foolproof. Stories are more than just fact sheets, and all media is allowed some degree of fluidity, especially in the details; we are more concerned what implications certain facts may have on other stories. So, for example, while The Fall of Reach is regarded as canon, not all of the numbers and stats (e.g. for accelerations and velocities) therein are taken as fully authoritative if they conflict with the overall ballpark of the Halo universe baseline for such velocities. This also applies to gameplay, which is not to be taken as "hard" canon, especially in regards to stats, feats, force numbers, tactics etc. Like visual media, it is a representation of an ideal canonical "reality", but itself exists in a semi-ambiguous canon status. One good way to conceptualize this is to think of all Halo media as in-universe dramatizations or reconstructions made years after the fact, similar to how Not All Who Wander is framed as a narrative produced as part of the Project Footprint. So, for example, The Fall of Reach could be seen as a novel by the acclaimed military fiction author Eric Nylund, written in 2711; he did his research really well but still missed some bits, did a few typos with numbers, or deliberately dramatized certain parts of the events. Ultimately, preserving the "spirit" of the work is always paramount, if that spirit is worth preserving. For example, Halo: Reach is all about the doomed defense of a planet we know will fall, and the journey of Noble Team along the way; the dates are just numbers on a screen. Us shifting those dates and some of the specifics of the events around doesn't really matter as long as we assume those characters were broadly speaking in those places around that time, and met similar fates.

Ultimately, Project Daybreak's canon is whatever we consider definitive at any given time, and the reader can choose to either accept or reject that interpretation. Generally speaking, newer material overrides old where the two contradict. The project leads (Tacitus and Quirel) have final creative control, and reserve the right to dictate what is regarded as canon within the project's scope. This is to maintain a consistent creative vision even as the project's contributor pool grows. In practice, however, we try to avoid overly draconian interference by staying on the same page with contributors through discussion and mutual understanding, as well as trusting said contributors to familiarize themselves with Daybreak's version of the universe. For more detail on the latter, see the Daybreak Reference Manual.

Halo media canon tiers[edit | edit source]

The following list details the canon status of official Halo media within Daybreak's universe. The list is divided into three tiers, in descending order of canonical priority:

  • Daybreak Canon / D-Canon — Primary canon. All events, characterizations, and visuals are canon. Most strongly informs Daybreak's themes, style and tone. Some details may still vary; these are noted below.
  • Broad Strokes Canon — Strong supporting canon. Most events, characterizations and visuals are canon in some form. Events may be recontextualized or moved around in the timeline, and some characters may be absent or altered.
  • Apocrypha / S-Canon — Weak to medium supporting canon.

Media falling outside any of the three tiers is regarded as non-canon and ignored, though some worldbuilding details may and will be brought in.

The only notable exceptions to the pre-2009/post-2009 "rule" include i love bees and Halo: Uprising. I love bees is largely ignored due to its already-dubious canon status and various oddities.[note 2] The de-canonization of Uprising in particular results in Daybreak's most notable departure from pre-2009 canon, in having Colonel Ackerson survive the Human-Covenant War.[note 3]

It is also useful to note that just because a subject appears in a "canon" work, don't assume the rest of their backstory (as described in "non-canon" works) holds true. For example, Daisy-023 is canon to the extent of her appearance in Silent Storm, but her backstory shown in Homecoming is altered due to the project's more frugal approach to surviving Spartan numbers. Some such cases may be incorporated into Daybreak's canon, often with some alterations (such as in the case of Halo: Reach), but by default, they are assumed to be non-canon.

Adaptations are always regarded as secondary to the original work. For example, while the visuals of Halo 2 Anniversary can be used for illustrative purposes, the original game always takes precedence where the two conflict, for example in the in-universe presence of entities such as companies (e.g. the original has Tterrab Industries as opposed to Lethbridge Industrial present in a Mombasa building), the proportions of some objects (e.g. Delta Halo is shown as considerably wider in Anniversary remake than its canonical 318-km to 10,000-km ratio), or the in-universe appearance of some designs (e.g. the original Sangheili combat harness is closer to Daybreak's "canon" design, though the revised one may be used in the wiki). Note that this only applies to Halo 2 Anniversary; the remastering in Halo: Combat Evolved Anniversary diverges too much from the original's visual style to be regarded as canon within Daybreak's stylistic guidelines, though its visuals may at times be used to represent unrelated subjects. This is likewise true with the comic and animated adaptations of The Fall of Reach; the latter can be used for illustrative purposes in select cases, but the original novel is to be considered definitive the version of the events. For more information regarding visuals, see Visual Style Guide and Image Policy.

Daybreak Canon[edit | edit source]

Note that even the D-tier is not 100% "fixed", in the sense that every single detail is hard canon. It's more that these are the works we try to diverge the least from, in terms of events, characters, tone, themes, and even the details. We will alter or "retcon" select details where necessary, though this doesn't make the original source any less valid - it's just a different recounting of the same events. Stories are imperfect and made by different people, and we realize that. What the wiki and the overarching project is concerned about is not altering those stories per se, just presenting a "definitive" version of the events that meshes with the universe at large.

One example of this mentality are the events of November 3, 2552 in Ghosts of Onyx. As outlined in this post, while the slipspace travel times depicted work in the story's own context, they don't mesh with other sources, and would quite literally break slipspace travel works in the Halo universe overall, and force us to throw out all the rules regarding distances and transit times. Since Daybreak is built on cultivating a robust and consistent set of rules and limitations, and ignoring those rules would have made Halo's slipspace travel less compelling, we elected to "retcon" the anomalous dates of the events rather than try to fit a square peg in a round hole. The same applies for the changed locations of star systems such as Y'Deio and the stars Harvest and Arcadia orbit. In summary, it's all about first knowing the rules to break them when needed.

Since any divergences from Daybreak Canon media are minor, most of them are listed below.

Games
Novels
Miscellaneous/Other

Broad Strokes Canon[edit | edit source]

Material that strongly informs Daybreak's version of the setting and story, but is not fixed in its canonicity. In some cases of narrative fiction, the general outline of events can be assumed to have happened, with those characters in the locations depicted and around the same time unless otherwise noted, but some details and circumstances may vary.

  • Halo: Landfall: the events take place, albeit at night to match the timing of the Master Chief's reentry in Halo 3. Landfall could be seen as an in-universe dramatization made years after the fact.
  • Halo: The Cole Protocol: the events, locations and characters can be assumed to still apply, but the Sangheili culture stuff in particular should be taken with a grain of salt; a lot of it is still a thing in some way, but it should not assumed to apply universally.
  • Halo: Reach data pads: an incarnation of the Assembly exists in Daybreak, but their specific activities as chronicled in the data pads are subject to the caveat of unreliable narration.
  • Halo 4: Forward Unto Dawn: The events in Corbulo Academy in 2526 still happened as is, though the visual appearance of the Spartans' armor is chalked up to artistic interpretation/production limitations and is not "canon" per se. The "present-day"/2557-era segments with Cortana and the Infinity do not take place as such, though Lasky is still out there by the post-war era.
  • Halo: Envoy: the general events (i.e. the NOVA bombing of Glyke, the conflict on Carrow and the return of Gray Team) happen, though as the backstory and nature of the Sharquoi is reimagined, their involvement in the story differs. The timeline of the events may also differ (e.g. being possibly moved further along) though this is still pending further development.
  • Halo: Fractures (the following stories:)
    • Breaking Strain: with fluidity allowed for canon oddities, like an ordinary UNSC captain knowing about S-III Alpha Company.
    • Oasis
    • Anarosa
  • Halo: Fleet Battles reference material (for the most part)
  • Halo: Evolutions
    • Soma the Painter (with some fluidity, e.g. G 617 g and Seaward are two distinct locations, and the Flood contacts on both were separate but roughly concurrent incidents.)
    • Stomping on the Heels of a Fuss (the setting of Beta Gabriel is moved to Tribute, and ONI never visits High Charity, but the overall events can still occur)
    • Palace Hotel (the locations and characters are canon, but the version of events in Halo 2 should be taken as definitive where the two conflict)
    • Stomping on the Heels of a Fuss (the general events did happen and those characters did exist, but on Tribute as Beta Gabriel is changed into a non-terrestrial world; and ONI never infiltrated High Charity)
  • Halo: Shadow of Intent: The overall story arc still happens, but some of the specifics may differ; i.e. Rtas 'Vadum and the crew of the Shadow of Intent fought a Covenant remnant group led by the the Minister of Preparation which led to them seeking reconciliation with the Prophets. Most of the characters can also be assumed to also exist here. A version of the Prelates may be a thing. The jury's still out on the prototype Halo, though.
  • Halo: Warfleet: The majority of the worldbuilding can be assumed to apply in Daybreak as well, except where it pertains to non-existent elements like the Infinity, some Forerunner entries, as well as some details such as the nature of plasma torpedoes (as "solid-core" and "vapor-core" plasma torpedoes are two different weapon systems in Daybreak; see plasma torpedo). There are also a few oddities that should be reviewed, like the specifics of the terminology of Covenant AIs, and the career paths of Sangheili pilots, but overall the lore and cross-sections are mostly "canon".

Apocrypha / Supporting Material[edit | edit source]

A tier below Broad Strokes, Apocrypha occupies a limbo between the above categories and non-canon material in that it doesn't fit either of the above categories, but can nonetheless serve as a source of inspiration and influence for some bits of worldbuilding, stories, and characters.

  • Marathon universe: Bungie's Marathon game series occupies a somewhat exceptional place in Project Daybreak's apocrypha; while technically external media, Halo's genesis is so inextricably tied with Marathon that we also seek to continue that legacy by selectively mining the Marathon universe for ideas, concepts and even visuals in some cases. The Daybreak and Marathon universes are still definitively separate, but they have many commonalities, and can be seen as part of the same mythological lineage.
  • Cortana Letters: While not "canon", the letters serve as worlbuilding inspiration for various parts of Daybreak, including but not limited to SolCore, out-of-place biota, along with possible hints as to Cortana's future.
  • i love bees: Some elements (e.g. characters and their personal journeys) may exist in Daybreak, and some of the worldbuilding may support Daybreak's canon (e.g. the colonies of Crystal and Troy are a thing, as is the "Refu" slur), but not the wackier stuff like the time travel plot or the implicit second class of S-IIs. In general, there's a lot of early installment weirdness in the details that's also out (e.g. Shaw and Fujikawa's age).
  • Adaptations of Halo: The Fall of Reach: The comic and animated adaptations of The Fall of Reach may be used to illustrate some subjects. However, the novel's events and descriptions are still regarded as the "definitive" version, and lore and canon "additions" made by the adaptations should be treated with extreme discretion as they rarely brought in anything of value and in some cases actively detract from the original book. Also, where the adaptations conflict with superior sources, e.g. Dr. Halsey's journal and the design of the shuttle Han, the journal takes precedence.
  • Halo: Reach: When it came to TFoR and Reach, we were faced with a choice to pick one over the other. We went with the novel, as its version of the Fall of Reach presents less fuss (e.g. in regards to connections to First Strike and Ghosts of Onyx). However, we have sought to incorporate most of the game's events and characters into the version of the story of The Fall of Reach and First Strike without having to awkwardly Frankenstein the two stories together. This does mean that the timeline, some of the characters and the exact sequence of events differ. See Fall of Reach for more. The game can be assumed to be an in-universe interactive experience made decades after the fact to celebrate Noble Team's heroism (which is even suggested to an extent in some of the fluff), and any divergences from the "real" events are due to production considerations.
  • Halo: CEA and Halo 2 Anniversary terminals: The terminals can be used as a visual resource and many bits thereof can be taken as broad strokes canon, though some details might differ.
  • The Forerunner Saga: A lot of the discrete elements exist but they may be contextualized differently, happen in a different manner, or not at all. Most of the worldbuilding around Forerunner culture (e.g. rates, mutations, customs, etc.) can be assumed to apply, and various Forerunner characters introduced in the novels (e.g. the Master Builder, Catalog, Splendid Dust) can still have existed. However, the plot and history diverge more drastically. Since Daybreak's general outline of events follows the version from Iris and the Halo 3 terminals, most of the events or deeper backstory around the Forerunners, Precursors and the Flood is no longer applicable, even as there are some parallels to our version. This is because the Forerunner Saga serves as backstory to a different version of the setting than Daybreak, 343i having primarily commissioned the novels to build up the backstory and context for the Didact as their new flagship antagonist. Daybreak's post-war narrative completely lacks the emphasis on the Mantle, the Reclamation, and the human-Forerunner conflict, and characters such as the Didact and the Librarian are purely historical figures, about as relevant to our present-day existence as Achilles or Gilgamesh. Therefore, most of the themes and plot points of the Forerunner novels would be either jarring, out of place, or in conflict with Daybreak's themes and tone. This approach has also allowed us to reassess and clean up redundant elements of the Forerunner era, such as the duplicate Didacts, the second Ark and Halo Array, the prehistoric human civilization (which only serves to augment the Didact's status as a bad guy in defeating "us"), the role of Forerunner geas in human evolution, none of which are relevant or necessary in Daybreak's worldbuilding and narrative and are thereby omitted. For a more detailed outline of Daybreak's Forerunner backstory, see here.
  • Halo: Broken Circle: Certain elements of the novel's worldbuilding and characters may be incorporated into Daybreak's canon, though this is pending further development of the early Covenant era. Most notably, the Writ of Union is portrayed as less of the Sangheili submitting to the San'Shyuum and more of an equal union in order to make the Covenant's origins and tensions more nuanced. The are also no "Luminaries"[note 4] pointing to the Halo rings anywhere in the galaxy, least of all Janjur Qom, so that plot point would also not be present. Overall, many of the characters and worldbuilding details can still exist, including the Ussan splinter-civilization, though their status in Daybreak has yet to be addressed.
  • Halo: Smoke and Shadow: While Rion Forge and the Ace of Spades crew exist in Daybreak's version of the setting, some of the plot elements (namely the plot-convenient Forerunner upgrades to the Ace of Spades) do not, as part of our harsher filter on Forerunner plot devices. This also means Rion's journey diverges considerably from early on even as her goals are similar. Spark is also as dead as dead can be, so he's not a factor here.
  • Halo: Nightfall: It could be assumed something like those events happened, i.e. there is a Jameson Locke and his team investigated a bioweapon plot with the Sedran militia, but everything since those basics changes: the setting is Sedra City on Fjord instead of a planet named Sedra, there bioweapon isn't an "element", and there's no Alpha Halo shard. Also, assume Randall Aiken is an ex-ORION operator, not an S-II.
  • Halo: Last Light, A Necessary Truth & Halo: Retribution: The Ferret stories strongly inform Daybreak's worldbuilding in places, but the events themselves are not considered "canon" for the time being. However, much of the worldbuilding around Gao and most locations as well as the character of Veta Lopis and the other denizens of Gao, are included. The Gao conflict there and Blue Team's participation in it will also happen in some form, though the specifics are pending further development of Blue Team's journey since the ending of Ghosts of Onyx. Notably, the "smoother" lore receives some tweaks, and the reasons for the Gammas' reassignment should be retooled given the different overall context (e.g. lack of a Spartan-IV program).
  • Halo Mythos: Can serve as a worldbuilding resource, though since the book covers material not regarded as Daybreak canon, many details and events inevitably vary.

Footnotes[edit | edit source]

  1. ↑ The legalistic view of canon (i.e. nothing except "official" media matters) is one that prevails in most popular media fandoms, but it is not the only one. Moreover, the idea of "canon" in itself as the ultimate value and meaning of fiction is something that can rightfully be questioned.
  2. ↑ Notably, we would like to avoid the whole Pandora's box of time travel to the year 2004, or out-of-place concepts such as the implicit Spartan-II Class 2. Some of the characters of ILB can still exist in Daybreak's version, but most of the events likely do not. Due to the self-contained nature of ILB, this has no major repercussions, however.
  3. ↑ This is because we subscribe to the theory that Codename: SURGEON was always intended to be Ackerson, and since SURGEON is shown to be alive following the war, his death in Uprising may have been the result of a writer miscommunication. (Not to mention a waste of a perfectly good character.) Ackerson still participates in a battle on Mars, and gets injured (he may even get captured), only his fate differs.
  4. ↑ 343i has taken to calling these star map MacGuffins "Luminaries", but that's not how Luminaries were established to work in Contact Harvest. Luminaries are in-system range sensors reverse-engineered from Forerunner equivalents that detect Forerunner artifacts and other points of interest, not star maps.
Retrieved from "https://daybreak.shoutwiki.com/w/index.php?title=Canon_Policy&oldid=3823"