The most mysterious races in Halo. By far the most advanced ones, and of course theories have arisen to try and uncover some secrets regarding each one. Now this is not just a theory thread. It is a collection of theories created by posters. I will update this often and take any suggestions so we can create an overall hypothesis of these two races. I will accept any serious comments and anything pertaining to these races.

Anything from their Origins, Major Events, Reason for disappearance(with vast explanations) and their legacies. Wolverfrog this is mainly directed at you given your experience in formulating theories. I would like these things to tie in, and don't state previously known knowledge.

For now I will just post the theories until we have gathered enough.

Footbutt:

I think that the Precursors might have been the "all-powerful" race in the universe, almost "God-like" in Halo-ishness. Being Extragalactic and having the ability to accelerate intelligent, sentient life, i can picture them as: examining our galaxy; nurturing life; giving the sentient races a push in the producing-and-growing/-knowledge-increasing stage; then seeing how their work was completed, travel on to the next galaxy and start the process over. Seeing as how the universe is infinite, this could be their life's work.

they also could have been life-givers or infused the spark of intelligence into their creations. which could also branch off into the Flood. perhaps the Precursors created or found the Flood in another galaxy and either regarded it as a precious lifeform with equal rights and all that crap, or as a threat and tried to stop it, or heck even created the Flood in the first place!

Vaulting Frog:

One theory along the lines of humans being related in some way to the Forerunners is a genetic manipulation.

It could have been very possable that the Forerunners did a perminant alteration to our genetic code when they sheltered our race. This could be due to them view us as "special" on first contact.

Humans are 99.99% genetically identical. Actually I think the .99 goes on for a few more digits but that is a seperate issue. In any case with the majority of our genetic code being identical it makes sense that they did a perminant altertation to that coding.

It is divided and combined over and over again for thousands of years and maintains that alteration through each of those phases. That could explain why humans have an affinity for Forerunner tech. As well as explain the "forefathers" comment by Truth.

The Forerunners could have litterally spliced a segment of their genetic code into ours.

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"Die?"Kurt laughed."Didn't you know?"he told the Elite. "...Spartans never die."

Forerunners are i guess the protectors. The other race is awesome but i do not think they can do much else besides advance evolutionary development. Forerunners were great at what they did and protected the other lesser races, but they failed when the flood came.

P.S. I disagree with encrypted AI because he thinks the persecuers (do not know how to spell it) can kill life as well or do crazy things. If the transsentient beings could kill life then the flood would not exsist because they would be found a threat and destroyed.

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You can't play halo wars until you see this video
http://www.escapistmagazine.com/videos/view/zero-punctuation/645-Halo-Wars
I've been perma-banned at bungie.net :(

I think that the Precursors might have been the "all-powerful" race in the universe, almost "God-like" in Halo-ishness. Being Extragalactic and having the ability to accelerate intelligent, sentient life, i can picture them as: examining our galaxy; nurturing life; giving the sentient races a push in the producing-and-growing/-knowledge-increasing stage; then seeing how their work was completed, travel on to the next galaxy and start the process over. Seeing as how the universe is infinite, this could be their life's work.

they also could have been life-givers or infused the spark of intelligence into their creations. which could also branch off into the Flood. perhaps the Precursors created or found the Flood in another galaxy and either regarded it as a precious lifeform with equal rights and all that crap, or as a threat and tried to stop it, or heck even created the Flood in the first place!

get my drift?

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New story out! Halo: Below the Brine
(it's the best story you're not reading!)

I belive that the Precursor ARE the flood, they could have been ruled a a peacefull gravemind, but they left and a small group of them got left, then they started infecting forerunner and because the gravemind if formed my the minds of many, it must of thought that it was evil because that is what all the forerunner though, I mean the flood can speed up evolution right?

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kiunk:

go drown in a fire

Encrypted AI:I belive that the Precursor ARE the flood, they could have been ruled a a peacefull gravemind, but they left and a small group of them got left, then they started infecting forerunner and because the gravemind if formed my the minds of many, it must of thought that it was evil because that is what all the forerunner though, I mean the flood can speed up evolution right?

based on the recorded conversations between the Gravemind and Mendicant Bias, i have a hard time believing in a benevolent Flood. Everything about them says, "must eat and assimilate." even the Gravemind convinced Mendicant to join its cause of ushering in the "next great stage of evolution".
If the Precursor's were Flood then, most likely, no other races would exist.

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New story out! Halo: Below the Brine
(it's the best story you're not reading!)

The Forerunners were a Tier 0 race (essentially, they were a race of god-like power). They created the Flood, built the Halos and Onyx, and (SPOILER WARNING) they are humans. Their reason for "disappearence" was, in order to contain the Flood, they had to fire the Halos, which killed all sentient life in the galaxy. Why did they survive you ask? 6 Forerunners were placed in the sarcophagi in Onyx. This kept them safe.

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WAR IS PEACE
FREEDOM IS SLAVERY
IGNORANCE IS STRENGTH

Big Brother is watching you.

Feed Nacho Man:The Forerunners were a Tier 0 race (essentially, they were a race of god-like power). They created the Flood, built the Halos and Onyx, and (SPOILER WARNING) they are humans. Their reason for "disappearence" was, in order to contain the Flood, they had to fire the Halos, which killed all sentient life in the galaxy. Why did they survive you ask? 6 Forerunners were placed in the sarcophagi in Onyx. This kept them safe.

The Forerunners were Tier 1.

They did not create the Flood, because the Flood are extra-galactic in origin.

They are not humans they just considered the humans special, there's no evidence supporting the fact that they are humans.

Their disappearance is not official, but the reason that they are not prominent is because they activated Halo to starve the Flood.

Your last statement is not true.

Ok people when I say don't state previously known articles I meant don't post things we already know. I'm not asking a question I'm gathering opinions.

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"Die?"Kurt laughed."Didn't you know?"he told the Elite. "...Spartans never die."

tmspartan:They are not humans they just considered the humans special, there's no evidence supporting the fact that they are humans.

 From Halo 3 level 'The Covenant', cutscene 'Activation':

• Truth: (walking on-screen, holding the Spiker) "Your forefathers wisely set aside their compassion..."
• (Truth looks down at Keyes' corpse, before tossing the Spiker away and walking to Johnson and the Ark's console. He shakes a fist to emphasize his speech.)
• Truth: "...steeled themselves for what needed to be done."
• Truth: (as he reaches Johnson) "I see now why they left you behind."
• (Johnson is brought up to the control panel.)
• Truth: "You were weak... and gods must be strong."

Not necessarily complete proof, but it does give a good indication.

 

Footbutt:

Encrypted AI:I belive that the Precursor ARE the flood, they could have been ruled a a peacefull gravemind, but they left and a small group of them got left, then they started infecting forerunner and because the gravemind if formed my the minds of many, it must of thought that it was evil because that is what all the forerunner though, I mean the flood can speed up evolution right?

based on the recorded conversations between the Gravemind and Mendicant Bias, i have a hard time believing in a benevolent Flood. Everything about them says, "must eat and assimilate." even the Gravemind convinced Mendicant to join its cause of ushering in the "next great stage of evolution".
If the Precursor's were Flood then, most likely, no other races would exist.

This is because the gravemind before was "good", he absorbed species that thought they where benifital or good (probably worshiped by a tier 7 race) so they made the gravmind think that it was "good", but when it left the milky way or whatever a small few where left behind in a futal no sentiance stage, so when the forerunner looked at them and said "bad" then when they where absorbed a new gravemind formed thinking it was suppost to be "evil". Now the forerunner probably contacted them around the same stage and looked at them in the same way, before they passed on the mantle to them so they could explore other parts of the universe. I mean there is evidence for my theory, like Mecanent Bias name, it means To beg (religiously, like a monk or something) bias, like opinion so could it mean that they begged them to return to there god-like power, but he managed to convice him that he was right because he was precursor. I know its a bit of a strech but think about it, the sentient species could asked to be absorbed so that they could know all that the gravemind knows, and it finaly got all of those types of people so it left so it could learn more, but 1 of there spaceships crashed and after it lost contact with the gravemind it went futal.

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kiunk:

go drown in a fire

Forefathers does not necessarily imply that the Humans are biological descendants of the Forerunners. It is more to suggest that the Forerunners cared for the human race much as a father would care for his child. 

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"Die?"Kurt laughed."Didn't you know?"he told the Elite. "...Spartans never die."

One theory along the lines of humans being related in some way to the Forerunners is a genetic manipulation.

It could have been very possable that the Forerunners did a perminant alteration to our genetic code when they sheltered our race. This could be due to them view us as "special" on first contact.

Humans are 99.99% genetically identical. Actually I think the .99 goes on for a few more digits but that is a seperate issue. In any case with the majority of our genetic code being identical it makes sense that they did a perminant altertation to that coding.

It is divided and combined over and over again for thousands of years and maintains that alteration through each of those phases. That could explain why humans have an affinity for Forerunner tech. As well as explain the "forefathers" comment by Truth.

The Forerunners could have litterally spliced a segment of their genetic code into ours.

VaultingFrog 2:

One theory along the lines of humans being related in some way to the Forerunners is a genetic manipulation.

It could have been very possable that the Forerunners did a perminant alteration to our genetic code when they sheltered our race. This could be due to them view us as "special" on first contact.

Humans are 99.99% genetically identical. Actually I think the .99 goes on for a few more digits but that is a seperate issue. In any case with the majority of our genetic code being identical it makes sense that they did a perminant altertation to that coding.

It is divided and combined over and over again for thousands of years and maintains that alteration through each of those phases. That could explain why humans have an affinity for Forerunner tech. As well as explain the "forefathers" comment by Truth.

The Forerunners could have litterally spliced a segment of their genetic code into ours.

If you don't mind Vaulting I would like to edit it into the OP.

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"Die?"Kurt laughed."Didn't you know?"he told the Elite. "...Spartans never die."

tmspartan:

VaultingFrog 2:

One theory along the lines of humans being related in some way to the Forerunners is a genetic manipulation.

It could have been very possable that the Forerunners did a perminant alteration to our genetic code when they sheltered our race. This could be due to them view us as "special" on first contact.

Humans are 99.99% genetically identical. Actually I think the .99 goes on for a few more digits but that is a seperate issue. In any case with the majority of our genetic code being identical it makes sense that they did a perminant altertation to that coding.

It is divided and combined over and over again for thousands of years and maintains that alteration through each of those phases. That could explain why humans have an affinity for Forerunner tech. As well as explain the "forefathers" comment by Truth.

The Forerunners could have litterally spliced a segment of their genetic code into ours.

If you don't mind Vaulting I would like to edit it into the OP.

That is absolutely fine. It is one of my oldest theories and seems to be one of the best fitting.

I do dispute however the Flood being the Precursors. The first and foremost thought and or instinct of any Flood form (besides carriers, but even then) is to find food and consume it.

That to me just doesnt seem like the Precursors who supposedly handed down a "mantle" or obligation to the Forerunners to protect all life. Consuming them just doesnt fit into that mindset.

Personally I view the Flood as a bioengineered infection that was used in a weapon in a nearby galaxy. Two galactic superpowers (much like the Forerunners or Precursers) were having at each other for some unknown reason. One side developed this virus which in its instinct to survive adapted to resist all forms of treatment. Increadably contagious.

As a mutating virus it changed how it affected the beings it was being hosted by. Some started to mutate into early versions of the current infection forms, carriers and combat forms. Eventually due to the amount of genetic data absorbed (this includes the knowledge of the infected) it became self aware much like you or me.

This behavior is simulated in the formation of a "Gravemind" (seen in Halo 2 and 3). That intelligence is not present until enough matter (genetic data) is absorbed and compiled. Until that point the Flood more or less act on their basic instinct to feed.

Following the destruction of those two far off factions it used their technology to move to a new galaxy where prospects of new food sources were high. Technical failure as well as the lack of food would have caused them to crash on to that moon and revert to their more basic state.

Make any sense to you guys?

It is so crazy it just might work.

---

You can't play halo wars until you see this video
http://www.escapistmagazine.com/videos/view/zero-punctuation/645-Halo-Wars
I've been perma-banned at bungie.net :(

VaultingFrog 2:

That is absolutely fine. It is one of my oldest theories and seems to be one of the best fitting.

I do dispute however the Flood being the Precursors. The first and foremost thought and or instinct of any Flood form (besides carriers, but even then) is to find food and consume it.

That to me just doesnt seem like the Precursors who supposedly handed down a "mantle" or obligation to the Forerunners to protect all life. Consuming them just doesnt fit into that mindset.

Personally I view the Flood as a bioengineered infection that was used in a weapon in a nearby galaxy. Two galactic superpowers (much like the Forerunners or Precursers) were having at each other for some unknown reason. One side developed this virus which in its instinct to survive adapted to resist all forms of treatment. Increadably contagious.

As a mutating virus it changed how it affected the beings it was being hosted by. Some started to mutate into early versions of the current infection forms, carriers and combat forms. Eventually due to the amount of genetic data absorbed (this includes the knowledge of the infected) it became self aware much like you or me.

This behavior is simulated in the formation of a "Gravemind" (seen in Halo 2 and 3). That intelligence is not present until enough matter (genetic data) is absorbed and compiled. Until that point the Flood more or less act on their basic instinct to feed.

Following the destruction of those two far off factions it used their technology to move to a new galaxy where prospects of new food sources were high. Technical failure as well as the lack of food would have caused them to crash on to that moon and revert to their more basic state.

Make any sense to you guys?

It makes perfect sense. I don't see the connection between the Precursors and the Flood other than the fact that they can travel between galaxies.

The Flood could have gotten here even by stealing a Precursor ship as they moved to a different Galaxy. It is far more likely than assuming an all-consuming parasitic infection is the next step in evolution and that this same infection passed down to the Forerunners their belief that they need to protect all life in the galaxy.

The Flood has always been a parasite as it is not small enough to undergo micro-evolution, this means that for at least millions of years the Flood has been in its parasitic form and has always fed on organisms of sufficient Biomass to survive. This means that when they absorb something it wouldn't have automatically changed its mindset from "good" to "evil". Besides the Flood are driven by instinct, they absorb sentient beings and take their knowledge but they don't take on their characteristics and thought patterns.

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"Die?"Kurt laughed."Didn't you know?"he told the Elite. "...Spartans never die."