Episode 2 of the Halo series continues to expand on the live-action universe’s lore. Of course, one of the best ways of doing so is by introducing new characters that contribute to the entire plot, and we got to see a new one in the form of Reth, a human who was able to help Master Chief understand what the artifact from Madrigal is. But who exactly is Reth, and is he in the Halo Games?
Reth is a mentally unstable human who was captured by the Covenant before the events of the show. He revealed that the reason why he was captured was that the Covenant thought he was a Blessed One. In the Halo novels, he is a Kig-Yar Covenant who ended up rebelling against the religious order.
Of course, considering that the Halo TV show draws inspiration from the games and the deep lore that they have, it is quite understandable why there is a character of the same name in the show. That said, let’s look at what we know about Reth on the show and the character’s version in the lore of the Halo video games.
Who Is Reth In Halo?
When episode 2 of the Halo TV show premiered, we were made aware of what Master Chief wanted to do when he went rogue from the UNSC during the final portion of the first episode. It became clear that he was looking to get to know more about the artifact that he found in Madrigal because of how it affected him mentally and emotionally when he touched it.
Master Chief and Kwan Ha went to the asteroid colony of Rubble, which is headed by Soren-066, a former Spartan trainee who ended up deserting at an early age. The beginning part of the episode allowed us to see a flashback involving Master Chief and Soren, who must have been best friends back in their days as trainees.
Soren didn’t know anything about the artifact, but he did know someone who might have an idea about what it was. This was when he brought Master Chief and Kwan Ha to Reth, a resident of Rubble.
Upon meeting Master Chief, Reth was asked to tell them more about the artifact that the Spartans recovered back in Madrigal. He seemed to have been knowledgeable about it to the point that he was able to briefly explain certain things about the Covenant’s religion. Reth even went on to tell them that the artifact could be a weapon that only the Blessed One could operate and that it could spell the doom of the entire universe if it were to fall into the hands of the Covenant.
Given that Reth was knowledgeable about the Covenant and why they wanted the artifact that was in possession of Master Chief, who is Reth, and why does he know so much?
Both Soren and Reth mentioned that the latter was, in fact, a former prisoner of the Covenant when he was seemingly abducted by the religious group of aliens prior to the events of the Halo series.
The reason why the Covenant abducted him and kept him as a “guest” was that they thought that, because of his “sensitivity” and obvious mental instability, he could be a Blessed One that could operate one of the artifacts that were in possession of the Covenant. However, they turned out to be wrong, and that was probably the reason why Reth didn’t stay too long with them, unlike Makee, who is a true Blessed One.
It is the fact that Reth was a captive of the Covenant that makes him quite knowledgeable about what the aliens wanted and why they were looking for the artifact, which is actually something that could lead them to the Halo weapon.
Considering that the Covenant are less than benevolent and are actually not afraid of killing innocent people, we can make the assumption that Reth wasn’t simply let loose by the Covenant and had actually escaped them. We may be able to find out more about the character later as the series progresses, considering that actor Johann Myers, the same person who plays Reth, is billed as a recurring member of the cast.
Is Reth Based On The Games?
One of the things we do know is that the Halo series is not canon to the main timeline of the games but is set in a separate timeline. This means that the series isn’t exactly reflective of what has happened in the video game franchise.
Nevertheless, we do know that the series still relies on the lore that has already been established in the video games, and that’s why the characters, places, and events are all based on what has already been seen in the Halo games.
So, while there are characters and events that are based on the Halo games, what does that mean for someone like Reth. Is Reth an original Halo series character, or is he based on the Halo games?
In a manner of speaking, Reth has a basis in the Halo lore but isn’t exactly found in the Halo games. And it’s going to make sense when we explain who Reth is in the Halo canon and where you can find him.
We do know in the Halo video games there are different characters that belong to the different races that you can find in the Covenant. This is where you can find Reth in the Halo canon lore, although he isn’t found in the games.
Reth can be found in the Halo: The Cole Protocol tie-in novel that’s related to the video games. In that sense, Reth isn’t in the video games, but he still is part of the greater lore of the Halo canon video games because he can be found in the books.
In the books, Reth is actually a member of the Covenant and is part of the Kig-Yar alien race that are also called the Jackals. These are reptilian-like aliens that are usually serving as foot soldiers for the Covenant but not as expendable as the Unggoys. And the fact that he is a Kig-Yar means that he can actually help on the frontlines because these aliens have combat abilities.
However, while Reth was a member of the Covenant, he ended up rebelling against the religious order of Aliens and decided to settle with the other rebels on the Rubble. This is where you can see the similarities between him and the Reth on the Halo TV series.
The Reth on the show also has a connection with the Covenant, but in a different way because he was a captive of the aliens. Meanwhile, the Reth in the canon books was actually a member of the Covenant. Then there’s the fact that they both settled in Rubble.
Of course, another similarity that is quite obvious is the fact that they both ended up helping Master Chief by sharing some of the secrets that he knows about the Covenant, even though the Reth in the series probably isn’t as knowledgeable about the Covenant as the one in the books. Nevertheless, the similarities are there, and you can see that the human Reth is probably based on the Kig-Yar Reth.
