>>713358179
The Halo video game franchise, particularly in its depiction of the United Nations Space Command (UNSC) and the Master Chief, can be interpreted as reflecting elements of American exceptionalism. The UNSC, as the primary human faction, is often portrayed with a strong sense of national identity, technological superiority, and a belief in its own moral righteousness, which are common themes in narratives of American exceptionalism. The Master Chief, as the lone super-soldier, embodies the idea of a uniquely capable individual fighting for a greater cause, also resonating with exceptionalist narratives
By way of establishing the metaphor of the Covenant with extreme Islamic beliefs, the cutscene before the first level playing as the Arbiter shows the Elites chanting ritualistically after leaving the Covenant Holy City to hunt down a heretic leader:
Elite Leader: When we joined the Covenant, we took an oath…
Elite soldiers: …according to our station. All without exception.
Elite Leader: On the blood of our fathers, on the blood of our sons we swore to uphold
the Covenant…
Elite soldiers: …even to our dying breath!
Elite Leader: Those who would break this oath are heretics, worthy of neither pity nor
mercy. Even now, they use our Lord’s creations to broadcast their lies.
Elite soldiers: We shall grind them into dust!
Elite leader: And continue our march to glorious salvation!
In the year 2001, I was shocked twice by the idea that violence could be carried out in the name of religion, in the name of God—once by the terrorists of 9/11, and once by the introduction of the Covenant enemy in the first Halo.
