There’s Only 1 Way Halo Season 2 Can Feature An Iconic Element Of Halo: Combat Evolved

Spoilers are ahead for Halo season 2, episode 5, “Aleria.”

As the show’s sophomore outing nears its end, there’s only one way left for Halo season 2 to feature an iconic element of Halo: Combat Evolved. In its fourth episode, the aptly titled “Reach,” Halo‘s Fall of Reach plotline unfolded on an epic scale. After Master Chief (Pablo Schreiber) grows suspicious of the Covenant’s tactics on Sanctuary, he attempts to warn ONI officer and Dr. Halsey’s replacement, James Ackerson (Joseph Morgan), about the potential for an enemy invasion. Dismissed by his superiors, including Admiral Jacob Keyes (Danny Sapani), John-117 takes matters into his own hands.

While Keyes reprimands the Chief, the UNSC admiral later discovers what really happened to Cobalt Team — another Spartan unit — and that Ackerson and other ONI higher-ups were well aware of the Covenant’s plan to invade Reach. Instead of fleeing with Ackerson, Keyes stays behind on Reach, joining John in the effort to evacuate the planet’s surviving civilians. Although the Fall of Reach episode doesn’t feature Noble Team, the Spartan unit from Halo: Reach, the episode does put crucial characters like Keyes, Dr. Halsey (Natascha McElhone), and even Cortana (Jen Taylor; Christina Bennington) in the spotlight.

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Halo Season 2 Didn’t Feature The Pillar Of Autumn During The Fall Of Reach

Halo: Reach, the video game that chronicles the Fall of Reach, centers on Noble Team. The player character, Noble Six, helps the UNSC’s defensive strategy — until it becomes abundantly clear that there’s no beating the Covenant. Before the human stronghold falls, Dr. Halsey tasks Noble Six with delivering a package to the Pillar of Autumn‘s captain, Jacob Keyes. While Noble Six safely delivers the all-important cargo — the A.I. construct Cortana — to Keyes, the Spartan makes a sacrificial play to afford Keyes and the Autumn safe passage off of Reach.

In the show’s version of events, Makee (Charlie Murphy) and The Arbiter (Viktor Åkerblom) steal Cortana for the Covenant. Surprisingly, Keyes is one of the characters who dies in Halo season 2, episode 4; by sacrificing himself, Keyes allows Corporal Talia Perez (Cristina Rodlo) to pilot the civilian evacuation ship off of Reach. Although some of the Halo show’s biggest Fall of Reach moments echo the video game, it’s a massive departure. In fact, the iconic Pillar of Autumn, which plays a key role in Halo: Reach‘s follow-up plot (Halo: Combat Evolved), doesn’t appear in the episode at all.

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Miranda Keyes Could Still Be The Pillar Of Autumn’s New Captain

Even though the Pillar of Autumn didn’t appear in “Reach,” the iconic ship from the beginning of Halo: Combat Evolved could still turn up in the Paramount+ show. At the beginning of the first-ever Halo game, the Pillar of Autumn exits slip-space and comes upon Installation-04, one of the Halo array’s ring worlds. The ship’s captain, Jacob Keyes, entrusts Master Chief with Cortana before crash-landing the Autumn on the ring world. The memorable scene sets the entire Halo saga into motion, so the Pillar of Autumn has become pretty synonymous with the franchise at large.

That said, the events of Halo: Reach lead directly into Combat Evolved‘s opening. The Pillar of Autumn is coming out of slip-space because the ship is fleeing Reach. While the Autumn‘s absence from the show’s Fall of Reach arc is glaring, the series could course-correct by featuring the Pillar of Autumn in a future episode. With Admiral Keyes gone, it would only make sense for Jacob and Dr. Halsey’s daughter, Commander Miranda Keyes (Olive Gray), to be tied to the ship. Miranda could be the Captain Keyes on Halo season 2’s Pillar of Autumn.

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Why Halo Season 2’s Finale Should Include The Pillar Of Autumn

Billed as a main character, Commander Miranda Keyes has yet to appear in season 2. Before his death, Jacob mentioned his daughter to Dr. Halsey. Other than that, the show has gone five episodes with very little indication of what Miranda has been doing. Based on both the plot and the final episode’s title, it seems likely that Makee and The Arbiter will discover a ring-world. Essentially, the show is setting up its own take on Combat Evolved‘s plot, making the inclusion of the Pillar of Autumn (and a new Captain Keyes) a must in Halo season 2’s finale.