Is the Halo TV show canon? Halo’s Silver Timeline explained

The Halo TV show exists in a strange place in relation to the story of the games, so is it canon?

The new live-action adaptation of the massive Halo game series has just hit Paramount Plus. Many fans will immediately notice the differences between the world of the show and that of the games. The Halo TV show takes place in a separate version of canon known as the “Silver Timeline.” The Silver Timeline is named after the team of Spartans Master Chief serves with in this universe, Silver Team rather than the usual Blue Team from the games. With so many similarities, is the Halo TV show canon? And if not, what’s different?

Is the Halo TV show canon?

The Halo TV show is not a part of the canon established in the video game series.

There are many diverging plot points from the Halo show relative to the games. Perhaps the biggest is that humanity has not yet discovered the mythical “halo” rings, nor have they interacted with Forerunner technology. While the UNSC is aware of the Covenant threat, they’re still researching them.

In this universe, the Spartans are still actively being used as tools for ONI’s anti-rebellion efforts. In the established Halo canon, Spartans are rapidly retasked to address the Covenant threat before they can see widespread counter-insurgency use.

As a result, the Master Chief’s interactions with an alien artifact are likely to put humanity at odds with the Covenant, and will result in them battling over the halo rings. These ancient rings were designed to be used as a last resort against the star-spanning parasite known as the Flood. There’s no sign of The Flood so far in the Halo show, but they’re likely to come hand-in-hand with a ring.

While some roles have changed, many familiar characters still remain. Miranda and Jacob Keyes are still career UNSC soldiers adjacent to Halsey and her Spartans, and Doctor Halsey continues to be the morally ambiguous creator of the super-soldier program. More details and differences will become clear as the series progresses but for now, the Halo TV show’s canon feels familiar but distinct.