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  • Subject: The Rainbow Theory Reborn: Less words, More rainbow!!
Subject: The Rainbow Theory Reborn: Less words, More rainbow!!

Posted by: hamdog
Let's hear it for Lord Snakie
Making news just being around

Want to chat more with the Snakie? Go on and hit me up on MSN, gerkenized@hotmail.com

Duardo, a hugging emoticon lady? Or is it LIES?

Welcome to the Rainbow Theory!

PLEASE NOTE!: The following is 10,000 characters; this theory is not for those who have a lack of interest in the Halo Universe or have short attention spans. Reading discretion is advised.

Background: Several years ago I came up with the Rainbow Theory, a theory attempting to pinpoint certain facts of the Halo universe through the use of a color-coding system. Due to several different factors, the thread was locked after well over 140 pages, and the subsequent "revival" attempts were unsuccessful. Due to popular demand from several sources (among them MLG Cheehwawa and Duardo) I have decided to update the Rainbow Theory. Please bear with any inaccuracies, as it will be extremely hard to take a theory over two years old and update it with all current information.


The Rainbow Theory:

Bungie is obsessed with the number seven. There are seven Halos, seven Monitors, seven was the "perfect" number in biblical times, and se7en is used in almost every facet of their works. It is this basic fact which keeps this entire theory together; seven is the key.

When one looks at Bungie's works, one notices several prevalent biblical references in them- the Flood, the Ark, The Covenant, and the "Halo"s themselves, to be sure. When you look at the number seven, it is the "number of God" in many prevalent religions- another noteworthy connection. When you look at the Flood and the Ark, then combine this thinking with seven, what do you get? For many, many months before this theory was dreamed, that was one of the key questions that theorists from all over the globe were asking each other: what does seven have to do with the biblical references in the Halo games?

One day, it came to me- the seven colors of the rainbow. Red, Orange, Yellow, Green, Blue, Indigo, Violet- seven colors, and two monitors (343 / Blue, 2401 / Red) that seemed to fit into this sequence. The Rainbow, in the bible, is the symbol that God gives that he will never let a Flood wrack the Earth's surface again, as can be seen from the passage below:

Genesis Chapter 9, Verses 12 through 17-

Then God said, "I am giving you a sign of my covenant with you and with all living creatures, for all generations to come. I have placed my rainbow in the clouds. It is the sign of my covenant with you and with all the earth. When I send clouds over the earth, the rainbow will appear in the clouds, and I will remember my covenant with you and with all living creatures. Never again will the floodwaters destroy all life. When I see the rainbow in the clouds, I will remember the eternal covenant between God and every living creature on earth." Then God said to Noah, "Yes, this rainbow is the sign of the covenant I am confirming with all the creatures on earth."

When you think about it, the "Rainbow" could be the equivalent of the Halo Grid- a promise from "God" (the Forerunner?) that the Flood will never reach the Earth- the monitors color-coordinated to form the colors of the rainbow to ensure the promise stays alive.

This information alone provides a relatively small slice of the overall picture- not really revealing much about the Halo universe to us, and not much more than a coincidental and interesting correlation. But, when combined with the theories of others, it opens up information about the Halo grid undiscovered and unknown.


What does this show us about the Halo grid?:

It can be assumed that the Halo rings are organized on some level based upon the rainbow prioritization with which the Forerunner (supposedly) imbued their monitors. If we continue to assume this, we can guess that the Halos might be set in a rainbow-based firing grid, laid out across the galaxy in a particular order- one that can be tracked.

If we take this to be a possibility, we can outlay a rainbow grid across a picture of our galaxy and take a figurative guess at the relative locations of the Halo rings, assuming that they orbit inside systems that rotate around the center of the galaxy in a rainbow pattern.

Please keep in mind that I did this in Paint and that I suck at paint anyway, but here is a rough version of the "galactic map" that theoretically shows the traveled paths of the Halo rings. Notice that red, the lowest wavelength of color, covers the smallest amount of area, with longer wavelengths covering larger distances.


But Installation 04 was destroyed, that means there are only 6 Halos and this theory's bogus!:

Well, yes and no. If you look at it from an actual scientific standpoint, the only reason there are seven colors in the rainbow in the first place is because six is the number of the devil and Sir Isaac Newton didn't want to equate six to the promise of God, so he included indigo. If we equate 343 to the indigo line instead of the blue line (which still makes perfect sense if you look at the orbital paths here, as both of those Halo rings are very close to Earth) then it can be reasoned that Installation 04 was the "optional" Indigo ring, meaning its destruction would be acceptable with modern-day scientific belief.


What about the Ark's monitor?:

A few people have asked in the past if this theory could help find out more information on the monitor of the Ark- the answer to that question is "yes". If you look at the rainbow from a scientific standpoint once again, you note that pure white light is the product of all the combined colors of the rainbow, while black is the absence of all colors. It is likely that the Ark's monitor is pure white if this theory is correct, due to the Ark being the command center for all the Halo rings... the presence of all the rainbow's light.


Iris' Backup:

Most people are aware that "Iris" was the viral campaign that led up to the launch of Halo 3. On one of the servers, this image was found. The image showcases a rainbow-like nebula, and is possible backup for this theory. What this image could be is a subject of hot debate- it could be the left-overs from the previous Halo grid firing, it could be the Forerunner's own "promise in the sky" to never let the Flood wrack the galaxy again, or it could be even more mysterious.


But wait... 343 Guilty Spark turned red on the final level of Halo 3! Couldn't the color difference in 2401 Penitent Tangent's eye be caused by anger/rampancy?!?:

As the title for this line suggests, I have taken into consideration that 2401 Penitent Tangent could have turned red only due to power loss, rampancy, or a combat mode initiated by the presence of a Gravemind. Truth be told, there is no real explanation for this... 2401 Penitent Tangent could be red for any of those reasons, and his normal color very well could be blue. This is actually further supported by 343 Guilty Spark turning red in Halo, showing that monitors can, indeed, alter their colors. The only support that I have for the Rainbow Theory in this situation is that 2401 was rather solid in his transformation to red, while 343 twitched in-and-out of it and only remained red when he did for a short while. It's possible that the red color-shift was only introduced on the other monitors (since the "red monitor", 2401, couldn't be anything but that color) as such a warning system, and 2401 is actually permanently red.


A rainbow at its fullest...:

In the closing of the actual theory, I'd like to mention that a "full rainbow" makes a Halo, but you normally only see half, hence the rainbow. Coincidence? You decide.


What does the Rainbow Theory tell us overall?:

Many people in the past have asked what this theory actually tells a user about Halo 3, the halo rings, and realistically anything at all important to the Halo universe- the truth is that it doesn't tell us very much on its own. The Rainbow Theory has always been more of an assisting guide than a theory on its own. It points out a few possibilities involving the Halo universe, nothing more- making connections past what is shown here is up to the rest of the community. But, for those who are interested in a list of what this theory does consider, a short list is below:

1. Proposes that all of the Monitors and Halos are color-coordinated and can be tracked due to this. Also suggests that the Forerunner can be connected to "God" in the bible, with his promise that the Earth will never be Flooded again being the Halo grid itself.
2. Using rainbow wavelength, gives a rough guess on how far away each Halo is from the Galactic center (assuming my theory on the spread of the Halos is correct)
3. Shows the possibility that the monitor of the Ark is white, as all light combined forms white.
4. Proposes that 343 Guilty Spark (and, by association, Installation 04) can be connected to either the "blue" or the "indigo" wavelengths.


In closing:

I want to thank all who have read this for their time, patience, and for their utmost care for what the Halo Universe has to offer to all of us- it's truly an astounding story that shows the true creative genius of Bungie.

Please use this thread for discussion of the theory, any other theories that relate to this theory, and generally anything that the Rainbow Theory has helped (or will help) to augment. Once again I appreciate your time, and I hope that we can all benefit from the RT's return!

[Edited on 04.18.2009 4:01 PM PDT]


Posted by: hamdog
Let's hear it for Lord Snakie
Making news just being around

Want to chat more with the Snakie? Go on and hit me up on MSN, gerkenized@hotmail.com

Duardo, a hugging emoticon lady? Or is it LIES?
  • 04.18.2009 3:54 PM PDT
  • reply edit unleash ninjas
Subject: The Rainbow Theory Reborn: New info, less words, more rainbow!

Posted by: hamdog
Let's hear it for Lord Snakie
Making news just being around

Want to chat more with the Snakie? Go on and hit me up on MSN, gerkenized@hotmail.com

Duardo, a hugging emoticon lady? Or is it LIES?

-Reserved for necessary space-


Posted by: hamdog
Let's hear it for Lord Snakie
Making news just being around

Want to chat more with the Snakie? Go on and hit me up on MSN, gerkenized@hotmail.com

Duardo, a hugging emoticon lady? Or is it LIES?
  • 04.18.2009 3:56 PM PDT
  • reply edit unleash ninjas
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Me by mehve | OH MY GOD™ - "oderint dum metuant"
Duardo \du(ar)-do\ is a variant of Duarte (Spanish, Old English), meaning "wealthy guard"


"It's not who I am underneath, but what I do that defines me."-Batman

2/24/09 - the day I was blocked

This is a very good theory Snakie. Well done indeed. What really strikes my curiosity is that fact that your theory actually makes a lot of sense. Two different monitors, two different colors. Seems very connected.

Seeing as the rainbow stuff fits, the Ark having a monitor (aka, Mendicant Bias) being white makes sense. More info on Mendicant Bias here. Since Bias had betrayed his makers, he "purified" himself and started making up for what he had done. Purity=white.

Since a rainbow does indeed form a complete circle (look it up kids), having the name "Halo" is perfect.



On a side note, while his post may have some religious symbols in it, that doesn't mean that religious discussion will be allowed unless it is directly relating to the theory itself- Lord Snakie makes the final determination, and he'll contact me directly if users posting here start getting out-of-line. Or I'll just look myself. You don't want that.

Do not Flame. Do not spam. Follow the rules.


Me by mehve | OH MY GOD™ - "oderint dum metuant"
Duardo \du(ar)-do\ is a variant of Duarte (Spanish, Old English), meaning "wealthy guard"


"It's not who I am underneath, but what I do that defines me."-Batman

2/24/09 - the day I was blocked
  • 04.18.2009 3:57 PM PDT
  • reply edit unleash ninjas

-Imitation is suicide.
-You sucks with grammar. Now which will get you further in life? His maturity and intelligence or your mad BR skills?- NAKED N00B 14
Blood Gulch ≠ Valhalla and ≠ Standoff. Don't even try to argue.
OTK=Owners of the Katana: A group for all you with the Halo 3 katana!

I find the religious significance very interesting, personally. While it's no secret that Bungie was heavily influenced by Christian ideals, the extent to which they've gone is remarkable. I've always found the connection between Yahweh and the Forerunners significant. Both are praised by cultures who view them as Gods for various reasons. The promise made from those Gods to their people is very similar in that the people are promised Salvation (taking into consideration that the Forerunners did not mean to be seen as Gods and did not actually make a promise to the Covenant) . However in the Halo Universe, this Salvation, in the Covenant's eyes, doesn't have to wait.

Assuming this theory is a fact, the followers would be able to find the Halo rings to follow the path. Now we all know the Forerunners didn't intend this Godlike persona to take effect. However something I've always wondered is that:

Since the Forerunners were aware of the Flood's destructive capabilities, and they kept some of the Flood alive for later study (as noted by 343 in the game Halo: Combat Evolved), is it possible that they placed the Halo rings in such an elaborate way that any species who came after them might be able to combat the threat? The Forerunners tried every possible idea they could think of before resorting to the Halos.

So if the Forerunner were intelligent enough to build the Halos, is it not possible or even probable that they made it so there's a chance later species would survive if another outbreak occurred? Considering all the security protocols that were enabled, I don't think this proposal is too much of a stretch. And if we assume that, then this theory seems all that much more probable.


-Imitation is suicide.
-You sucks with grammar. Now which will get you further in life? His maturity and intelligence or your mad BR skills?- NAKED N00B 14
Blood Gulch ≠ Valhalla and ≠ Standoff. Don't even try to argue.
OTK=Owners of the Katana: A group for all you with the Halo 3 katana!
  • 04.18.2009 3:57 PM PDT
  • reply edit unleash ninjas

Posted by: evilcam
That...probably means that Laserking has either an insanely accurate logical method of deriving people's reactions to things, or he possesses pre-cognition. Either way:LASERKING for Mods!

Join KOTOR_|_Join FanFicFactor_|_TOTAL WIN

Great theory and explanation.


Posted by: evilcam
That...probably means that Laserking has either an insanely accurate logical method of deriving people's reactions to things, or he possesses pre-cognition. Either way:LASERKING for Mods!

Join KOTOR_|_Join FanFicFactor_|_TOTAL WIN
  • 04.18.2009 4:04 PM PDT
  • reply edit unleash ninjas

What surprised me that this makes an whole lot of sense. Even though I am not Christian, I see the connection and wow, my head hurts now :p I had no idea that any of the colors or the other stuff had a connection, and if they don't then this is the biggest, most reasonable coincedence there has ever been :o That Forerunner is a tricky little person o.o

  • 04.18.2009 4:05 PM PDT
  • reply edit unleash ninjas
Subject: The Rainbow Theory Reborn: Less words, More rainbow!!

Oh dang! That man just ordered breakfast in the middle of my rap song!

Man, this thread is making too much sense. After seeing some ridiculous theories, with the exception of Cheehwawa's, which also make a lot of sense, it's great to read something like this.

As far as Guilty Spark's changing color, it could just be due to Rampancy, and changing to red could just be "coincidence". When the monitor becomes Rampant, it could just change from whatever color it was to whatever other color. That would explain Guilty Spark's change. Lol, but that opens up a lot more questions. Just a thought.

Anyway, awesome theory.


Oh dang! That man just ordered breakfast in the middle of my rap song!
  • 04.18.2009 4:05 PM PDT
  • reply edit unleash ninjas

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