The Halo show unmasks Master Chief to reveal yet another generic chosen one

theverge.com:

It would have been a bold move if the Master Chief of Paramount Plus’ new Halo series never removed his helmet, and we were left to wonder what kind of person the hulking spartan in his signature Mjolnir armor truly is, as is the case in the Halo video games. Repeatedly unmasking Master Chief and highlighting the difficulty he has processing basic emotions is one of the major ways Halo tries to humanize him as he embarks on an adventure across a universe that’s familiar, but slightly different continuity-wise. But rather than using Master Chief as a lens through which to view its war-torn worlds, Halo instead tries to mythologize him with a story that turns him into your standard-issue Chosen One Who Doesn’t Know He’s Special.

Though Paramount Plus’ Halo doesn’t immediately try to bowl you over with dense world-building information dumps, it’s obvious from the pair of episodes provided to press that co-creators Kyle Killen and Steven Kane both have a deep respect for the source material. With a civil war raging between the United Nations Space Command and groups of insurrectionists from Earth’s off-planet colonies, humanity’s future was already uncertain before the events of Halo’s first season. But things became that much more complicated when alien beings known as the Covenant first appeared unexpectedly and established themselves as a powerful, deadly force from beyond the stars.

While the UNSC’s Spartan super soldiers like Master Chief Petty Officer John-117 (Pablo Schreiber) were created by Dr. Catherine Halsey (Natascha McElhone) to deal with the rebels, their enhanced physical capabilities and combat training make them one of humanity’s most effective means of fighting back the Covenant — a race of bipedal