Canon Policy

This page details Project Daybreak ' s stance on canon. "Canon" is defined here as sources taken as authoritative within the confines of the Daybreak Continuum's internal continuity.

Overview
The Daybreak Continuum is best conceptualized as a Halo universe variant which intersects with the canon of 343 Industries' in many areas, but not all of them. Needless to say, we are not trying to say what 343i should or shouldn't regard as canon, and that would be a pointless exercise anyway. However, in order to fulfill the project's guiding vision and create an interconnected, self-consistent continuity within Project Daybreak's own confines, it is necessary to establish what sources are accepted as part of that continuity. Official sources not listed as canon may be either partly or fully ignored, though they are sometimes used as inspiration.

As a general rule, most Halo media to come out before 2010 is considered canon within Project Daybreak, while media released from 2010 onward is not. 2009-2010 was selected as it forms a natural watershed moment in Halo's developmental history that marked the franchise's departure from the hands of its original creators; creatively speaking, any media released since would be tantamount to fan fiction anyway, disregarding legal technicalities. In-universe, it also created an open-ended future for the universe, with the end of the Human-Covenant War in Halo 3. As the post-war period was gradually filled out with 343i's interpretation over the coming years, it became clear that any version of the post-war era that diverged from that interpretation would have to be established as an alternate timeline — not a reimagining or rebuttal of 343i's post-war era, but something entirely independent from it.

Picking and choosing Daybreak's continuity allowed us to both reassess many of the things now taken for granted about Halo's setting, and create something entirely new. Ultimately, some people will be unhappy with some of the specific exclusions we've made, but none of those were made without reason, and all ultimately are in support of our vision for the project. Part of Daybreak's charm is meant to be that it is different from 343i's version, and we also ask audiences to take that into consideration. Notably, media is not excluded merely because we don't like it; a number of sources we like in and of themselves are shifted to a semi-canon or apocryphal status simply because they no longer make sense with Daybreak's version of the setting (e.g. The Forerunner Saga). It's better to simply acknowledge those stories are part of a different universe than to try and awkwardly force them into our interpretation.

It should also be noted that canon is never 100% foolproof. Stories are more than just fact sheets, and all media is allowed some degree of fluidity, especially in the details; we are more concerned what implications certain facts may have on other stories. So, for example, while The Fall of Reach is regarded as canon, not all of the numbers and stats (e.g. for accelerations and velocities) therein are taken as fully authoritative if they conflict with the overall ballpark of the Halo universe baseline for such velocities. This also applies to gameplay, which is not to be taken as 100% canon, especially in regards to stats, feats, force numbers, tactics etc. Like visual media, it is a representation of an ideal canonical "reality", but itself exists in a semi-ambiguous canon status. One good way to conceptualize this is to think of all Halo media as in-universe dramatizations or reconstructions made years after the fact, similar to how Not All Who Wander is framed as a narrative produced as part of the Project Footprint. So, for example, The Fall of Reach could be seen as a novel by the acclaimed military fiction author Eric Nylund, written in 2711; he did his research really well but still missed some bits, did a few typos with numbers, or deliberately dramatized certain parts of the events.

Ultimately, Project Daybreak's canon is whatever we consider definitive at any given time, and the reader can choose to either accept or reject that interpretation. Generally speaking, newer material overrides old where the two contradict. The project leads ( and ) have final creative control, and reserve the right to dictate what is regarded as canon within the project's scope. This is to maintain a consistent creative vision even as the project's contributor pool grows. In practice, however, we try to avoid overly draconian interference by staying on the same page with contributors through discussion and mutual understanding, as well as trusting said contributors to familiarize themselves with Daybreak's version of the universe. For more detail on the latter, see the Daybreak Reference Manual.

Halo media canon tiers
The following list details the canon status of official Halo media within Daybreak's universe. The list is divided into three tiers, in descending order of canonical priority:
 * Daybreak Canon
 * Broad Strokes Canon
 * Apocrypha

Media falling outside any of the three tiers is regarded as non-canon and ignored.

The only notable exceptions to the pre-2009/post-2009 "rule" include i love bees and Halo: Uprising. I love bees is largely ignored due to its already-dubious canon status and various oddities. The de-canonization of Uprising in particular results in Daybreak's most notable departure from pre-2009 canon, in having Colonel Ackerson survive the Human-Covenant War.

It is also useful to note that just because a subject appears in a "canon" work, don't assume the rest of their backstory (as described in "non-canon" works) holds true. For example, Daisy-023 is canon to the extent of her appearance in Silent Storm, but her backstory shown in Homecoming is altered due to the project's more frugal approach to surviving Spartan numbers. Some such cases may be incorporated into Daybreak's canon, often with some alterations (such as in the case of Halo: Reach), but by default, they are assumed to be non-canon.

Adaptations are always regarded as secondary to the original work. For example, while the visuals of Halo 2 Anniversary can be used for illustrative purposes, the original game always takes precedence where the two conflict, for example in the in-universe presence of entities such as companies (e.g. the original has Tterrab Industries as opposed to Lethbridge Industrial present in a Mombasa building) or the proportions of objects (e.g. Delta Halo is shown as considerably wider in Anniversary remake than its canonical 318-km to 10,000-km ratio). Note that this only applies to Halo 2 Anniversary; the remastering in Halo: Combat Evolved Anniversary diverges too much from the original's visual style to be regarded as canon within Daybreak's stylistic guidelines, though its visuals may at times be used to represent unrelated subjects. This is likewise true with the comic and animated adaptations of The Fall of Reach; the latter can be used for illustrative purposes in select cases, but the original novel is to be considered definitive the version of the events.

Daybreak Canon

 * Games


 *  (excepting some details and gameplay mechanics, e.g. shields on MJOLNIR in 2531 would not be a thing)
 *  (excepting some details and gameplay mechanics, e.g. shields on MJOLNIR in 2531 would not be a thing)
 *  (excepting some details and gameplay mechanics, e.g. shields on MJOLNIR in 2531 would not be a thing)
 *  (excepting some details and gameplay mechanics, e.g. shields on MJOLNIR in 2531 would not be a thing)
 *  (excepting some details and gameplay mechanics, e.g. shields on MJOLNIR in 2531 would not be a thing)


 * Novels
 *  (with some fluidity in regards to contradictory dates and early installment weirdness, e.g. appearances of the Sangheili throughout the war, human artificial gravity, or minor details of MJOLNIR development. Many stats, numbers, velocities, etc. are likewise subject to broad strokes. It's an establishing work, but it's also an early work, on top of being a full-length novel written in seven weeks. Hence, we try to preserve the spirit of the work but not always the letter.)
 *  (with some fluidity applied to early installment weirdness)
 *  (with some changes to contradictory dates and other minute details; e.g. some of the S-III company initiation dates are reassessed and the events of November 3, 2552 are spread out over November)
 *  (apart from some details, e.g. the Jiralhanae backstory, Harvest's location and population, and the "17 colonies" number is ignored)
 *  (the following stories:)
 *  (with some broad strokes applied to the Headhunters' backstory and equipment)
 *  (the setting of Beta Gabriel receives some changes, and ONI never visits High Charity, but the overall events can still occur)
 *  (with minor differences)
 *  (same deal as Silent Storm)
 *  (the setting of Beta Gabriel receives some changes, and ONI never visits High Charity, but the overall events can still occur)
 *  (with minor differences)
 *  (same deal as Silent Storm)
 *  (with minor differences)
 *  (same deal as Silent Storm)
 *  (with minor differences)
 *  (same deal as Silent Storm)
 *  (with minor differences)
 *  (same deal as Silent Storm)


 * Miscellaneous/Other
 *  (except for select entries pertaining to the events of Halo: Reach)
 *  (except for select entries pertaining to the events of Halo: Reach)
 *  (except for select entries pertaining to the events of Halo: Reach)
 *  (except for select entries pertaining to the events of Halo: Reach)

Broad Strokes Canon
Material that strongly informs Daybreak's version of the setting and story, but is not fixed in its canonicity. In some cases of narrative fiction, the general outline of events can be assumed to have happened, with those characters in the locations depicted and around the same time unless otherwise noted, but some details and circumstances may vary.


 * : the events take place, albeit at night to match the timing of the Master Chief's reentry in Halo 3. Landfall could be seen as an in-universe dramatization made years after the fact.
 * : the events, locations and characters can be assumed to still apply, but the Sangheili culture stuff in particular should be taken with a grain of salt; a lot of it is still a thing in some way, but it should not assumed to apply universally.
 * : an incarnation of the Assembly exists in Daybreak, but their specific activities as chronicled in the data pads are subject to the caveat of unreliable narration
 * : excepting the "present-day"/2557-era segments, and the visual appearance of the Spartans' armor
 * : the general events (i.e. the NOVA bombing of Glyke, the conflict on Carrow and the return of Gray Team) happen, though as the backstory and nature of the Sharquoi is reimagined, their involvement in the story differs.
 *  (the following stories:)
 *  reference material (for the most part)
 * Halo: Evolutions
 *  (the locations and characters are canon, but the version of events in Halo 2 should be taken as definitive)
 *  (the general events did happen and those characters did exist, but on Tribute as Beta Gabriel is changed into a non-terrestrial world; and ONI never infiltrated High Charity)
 *  reference material (for the most part)
 * Halo: Evolutions
 *  (the locations and characters are canon, but the version of events in Halo 2 should be taken as definitive)
 *  (the general events did happen and those characters did exist, but on Tribute as Beta Gabriel is changed into a non-terrestrial world; and ONI never infiltrated High Charity)

Apocrypha
A tier below Broad Strokes, Apocrypha occupies a limbo between non-canon in that it doesn't fit either of the above categories, but can nonetheless serve as a source of inspiration and influence for some bits of worldbuilding, stories, and characters.


 * : This was one of the harder cases to exclude. Most of the worldbuilding around Forerunner culture (e.g. rates, mutations, customs, etc.) can be assumed to apply, but since Daybreak's general outline of events follows the version from Iris and the Halo 3 terminals, most of the events or deeper backstory around the Forerunners, Precursors and the Flood would not. This is because The Forerunner Saga effectively serves as backstory to a different version of the setting than Daybreak, and so many of the plot points and themes would be either redundant, out of place, or in conflict with Daybreak's ideas. For example, the emphasis on the Mantle and the Reclamation is considerably downplayed in the post-war narrative along with the absence of the Didact as an antagonist, so the Forerunner Saga's buildup of these elements would be tonally jarring. This approach has also allowed us to reassess and clean up redundant elements of the Forerunner era, such as the duplicate Didacts, the second Ark and Halo Array, the prehistoric human civilization, the role of Forerunner geas in human evolution, none of which are relevant or necessary in Daybreak's worldbuilding and narrative and are thereby omitted.
 * : When it came to TFoR and Reach, we were faced with a choice to pick one over the other. We went with the novel, as its version of the Fall of Reach presents less fuss (e.g. in regards to connections to First Strike and Ghosts of Onyx). However, we have sought to incorporate most of the game's events and characters into the version of the story of The Fall of Reach and First Strike without having to awkwardly Frankenstein the two stories together. This does mean that the timeline, some of the characters and the exact sequence of events differ; e.g. Noble Team never interacts with Halsey, and the Cortana splinter plotline is dropped. See Projects/Fall of Reach for more.
 * : the majority of the worldbuilding can be ported over, except where it pertains to non-existent elements like the Infinity, some Forerunner entries, as well as some details such as the nature of plasma torpedoes.
 * : While the Ace of Spades crew can exist in Daybreak's version of the setting, some of the plot elements (namely the plot-convenient Forerunner upgrades to the Ace of Spades) do not, as part of our harsher filter on Forerunner plot devices.
 * ' & ': Both strongly inform Daybreak's worldbuilding in places, but the events themselves are not considered fully canon for the time being. However, much of the worldbuilding around Gao, the conflict there and Blue Team's participation in it, as well as the character of Veta Lopis, may possibly be included. Notably, the Gammas' need for smoothers is less acute in Daybreak's setup, and the reasons for their reassignment should be retooled given the different overall context (e.g. lack of a Spartan-IV program).
 * : While not altogether canon, the letters serve as worlbuilding inspiration for various parts of Daybreak, including but not limited to SolCore, Out-of-place biota, along with possible hints as to Cortana's future.
 * : Bungie's Marathon game series occupies a somewhat exceptional place in Project Daybreak's apocrypha; while technically external media, Halo's genesis is so inextricably tied with Marathon that we also seek to continue that legacy by selectively mining the Marathon universe for ideas, concepts and even visuals in some cases. The Daybreak and Marathon universes are still definitively separate, but they have many commonalities, and can be seen as part of the same mythological lineage.