The Halo TV show premiered last week Friday and in the first episode of Paramount+’s new adaptation of the video game, we get a saucy Mass Effect reference, specifically to Commander Shepard.
Halo premiered on Paramount+’s new streaming platform last week Friday – you can also catch it on Showmax – and in the first episode, the show runners added a cheeky nod to the Mass Effect universe, and to Commander Shepard.
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Note – there will be mild spoilers here for the events of the show.
Halo, which follows the events of Master Chief – the iconic figurehead of the Halo universe – is set in the 26th century, the same time frame as the video games. However, the Spartans are still pretty new to the galaxy, and so there is a lot of in-fighting between different human sects, especially between the UNSC and various other humans.
One group of humans, who have been fighting for independence from the UNSC, has their first encounter with the Covenant, and by extension, the Spartans. As the episode progresses, we hear some background chatter in what seems to be a war room, when we hear a seemingly non-important line, “Commander Shepard, you are requested at the Skillian Resource Centre”.
If you were transfixed in the events of Master Chief and other characters, you might have missed this line completely – although, it is ever-so louder than other background chatter, and fans of the Mass Effect franchise will pick up the reference quite quickly once you hear it.
In the Mass Effect universe, Commander Shepard – whose full name is actually John Shepard, and shares a first name with Master Chief in the show – becomes the legend of the Skyllian Blitz, one of the largest assaults on a human colony by alien races. Shepard is not only integral in the victory of the Blitz, but it is how he acquires his legendary status across the galaxy and becomes known across the alien species.
The reference was also confirmed by 343 Industries, who are actively working on the show as well, as a direct nod to Mass Effect when speaking to GamesRadar. So far, there is no confirmation, however, that the two universes are one-in-the-same, and seems to just be a fan-loving reference.
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