Why Halo Revealed the Master Chief’s Face in the First Episode on Paramount+

More than 20 years after the first Halo game launched on Xbox and changed video games forever, the property has finally made its way to television. Paramount+ debuted the first episode of Halo on Thursday and fans have been loving the opportunity to see Master Chief come to life. To their surprise, however, the character known for his helmet doesn’t actually keep that helmet on throughout the entire first episode.

In one of the final scenes of the Halo premiere, Master Chief removes his helmet to earn the trust of Quan, a young woman whose home was destroyed by the Covenant. Fans may not have expected to see Pablo Schreiber’s face so early in the series, but there’s a good reason for that.

“I think when we set out to make the show, our focus was, we wanted to tell a character story, and we wanted to tell a character story with the Master Chief,” executive producer Kiki Wolfkill recently told ComicBook.com. “And ultimately, that meant telling a story about John, the man inside the armor, who isn’t somebody that you experience as a player in the games as much. We’ve described him in extended fiction and he exists in that form, but this is really a chance for us to spend nine hours taking John on this character arc. And so understanding that, and once we got into the story, it was very clear that we needed to be able to see who that person was, and we needed to be able to watch his journey and watch him on his journey as he grapples with his role as the Master Chief and as a person.”

The removal of Master Chief’s helmet in the premiere had to be a significant moment, both for the characters and the audience, or it wouldn’t have landed well with the fans. Taking off that helmet is a big deal, so there had to be a good reason for John to do so.

“And so with this, doing it in the way that we did in this moment with Quan, in the same way there was a story reason for him to take his helmet off, we also wanted it to feel meaningful for the audience,” Wolfkill continued. “We wanted him to take it off for a reason that was important. And as you pointed out, that moment with Kwan, it’s a moment where he’s trying to earn her trust. And trust isn’t something that he, as the Master Chief necessarily needs. It’s not a critical tool in his toolbox because he’s the Master Chief, and he takes orders and he does what he needs to do. And this is a moment where you start to see him responding in a very human way. And so, having that moment tied to the helmet coming off felt like a good complement.”

What did you think of the Halo series premiere? Let us know in the comments!