[b]The Duality of the Halo Array and its Secondary Purpose[/b] We all know that the primary purpose of the Halo array was to target the neural cells of sentient life (with enough biomass to sustain the Flood) and destroy them. In essence this would starve the Flood and would keep them from consuming all sentient life. What if, however, the rings had a secondary purpose? What if the Covenant were right about the Great Journey? What if the rings also served as a [i]transportation system[/i], more specifically a transportation system for energy; a transportation system to Heaven? I believe that when the Halo array was activated by Didact, all of the Forerunner who were not protected inside a shield world were killed. However, their energy still remained behind even though their body and mind were useless. The blast was able to absorb that energy (since the blast was energy itself) and transport it to a shield world (as it continued its path across the galaxy) where it would be contained in a Slipspace Field Pod where a cloned body would be waiting for them. Now, I know where you're thinking. "There is absolutely no proof for any of that." But I would like you to consider a few things. 1. The Forerunner already knew how to live for substantial periods of time. In [url=http://halo.wikia.com/wiki/Terminals#Transcripts]terminal three[/url] Didact and the Librarian are having a conversation regarding Mendicant Bias. The line that struck me as most peculiar was this "Have you learned nothing in these last [300 years[?]]? The thing will laugh at your efforts!" I believe this is implying that Didact has lived for, and has been fighting the Flood for, at least 300 years. Now, I know that those could be referring to him not learning anything from records of the Forerunner-Flood War which span 300 years. However, it seems just by the phrasing of the quote (have you learned nothing "in" these last 300 years, implying that he was there, as opposed to saying have you learned nothing "from" these last 300 years, which would imply that he could have studied the battles that occurred over the last 300 years) that the Librarian is suggesting that Didact has learned nothing as a result of his first hand knowledge of fighting the Flood. If this is the case, the Forerunner found a way to vastly increase their lifespan (assuming the have a similar anatomy to humans which is up for debate). I believe that they found a way to clone themselves and transport their energy into that new body. 2. The Forerunner knew how to clone bodies from DNA samples. In the [url=http://halo.wikia.com/wiki/Bestiarum]Halo 3 Bestiarum[/url] it states, [quote]DNA/RNA/Silicon samples are encoded in this datastream. Reproduction of individuals for analysis is prohibited by [u]this facility[/u].[/quote] Note "this facility". Why would it be necessary to make the distinction (whether or not cloning was permitted) if they did not have the technology to do so. The Forerunner possessed DNA samples of every species they indexed. It was/is well within their power to create clones of every one of the species listed in the Bestarium. 3. The Forerunner had technology for preserving bodies and preventing them from aging. In Halo, Ghosts of Onyx, Blue Team (Fred, Kelly and Linda) along with Dr. Halsey and Mendez stumble upon a series of [url=http://halo.wikia.com/wiki/Slipspace_Field_Pod]Slipspace Field Pods[/url] that the sentinels used to store the members of Team Katana. These pods put their user into slip space and essentially rendered them immune to all forms of damage as well as the effects of time. The Forerunner could have easily cloned their own bodies, (or even "default" bodies) aged the clone to a desired age, then stored it in the slip space pod until it was needed. (Note that these clones would be completely devoid of their own energy, they would simply be "parts"). Currently there is no known way to open these pods. (I think these pods were in a default "open" position which explains how Team Katana was able to be stored inside of them). I believe that they can only be opened from the inside; making sure the bodies weren't tampered with until their owner could reclaim them. Using this strategy, the Forerunner could have placed these bodies inside the shield worlds, activated the array, and then waited until their energy was transferred into the bodies. It would be like they never died. 4. The Forerunner already knew how to transport matter. We already know the Forerunner could create a teleportation system for matter (as evidenced by 343 Guilty Spark being able to transport the Chief around Installation 04). Is it so much of a stretch to assume this teleportation system could be used for energy (which I claim is matter) as well? [quote][/quote] [b]Heaven Within this Plane of Existence[/b] So, (assuming this theory is correct) the Forerunner were able to create a system where they lived forever in an artificial plane of existence; a paradise (the micro Dyson Spheres on their shield worlds), which they had complete control over (weather, the types of vegetation, in essence a place where they had complete mastery of their surroundings). Doesn't that sound a bit like Heaven? The Forerunner were obviously adamant that they failed in their goal of protecting sentient life. After they activated the array it is said that they left this arm of the galaxy. Most theorists have taken this as literal. However, I believe they are still here, in their shield worlds, completely withdrawn from the rest of the galaxy (Even though the shield worlds are physically "here" the Forerunner would reside inside the micro Dyson Sphere which is slip space generated space thus they would literally be outside this galaxy). I also believe that the Forerunner desired humanity to follow in their footsteps reclaim their technology and join them in their artificial Heaven. [Edited on 08.06.2010 3:08 PM PDT]