Fans of the Halo gaming franchise have several familiar characters they can look forward to seeing on the new Paramount+ show.

Hoping to compete with the likes of Disney+ and Netflix, Viacom's Paramount+ has entered the sci-fi realm with a Halo TV series, releasing weekly on the streaming service as opposed to the entire-season binge model pioneered by Netflix.

Halo, an Xbox-exclusive video game franchise that debuted with the first Xbox in 2001, has a ton of lore behind it that could potentially make it Paramount's answer to Star Wars, depending on the series' success. It's also known for its characters, though, several of whom will definitely be appearing in the show.

Master Chief

Pablo Schreiber, most known for his roles in The Wire, Orange is the New Black, and Law & Order: Special Victims Unit, will be joining the list of actors who've played Halo mascot Master Chief, also known as John-117. The difference, of course, is that the show is live-action, and features Schreiber both in and out of the suit.

In the games, Master Chief is an enhanced super-soldier, known as a "Spartan," raised from birth to be a soldier for the United Nations Space Command. The show will certainly rest on Schreiber's central performance as the character; while Schreiber has proven that he can play memorable characters, portraying the main star of a franchise is less familiar territory.

Dr. Catherine Halsey

In the Halo game series, Dr. Catherine Halsey is a scientist who helps to run the Spartan program that produced Master Chief. Dr. Halsey's brain was also the in-universe basis for the AI Cortana; this led to Cortana's voice actor, Jen Taylor, providing Halsey's voice and motion-capture in Halo: Reach (2010), Halo 4 (2012), Halo 5: Guardians (2015), and Halo Infinite (2021).

Fans of the show Designated Survivor may recognize Catherine Halsey's actress, Natascha McElhone, as First Lady Alex Kirkman. Her character's death, done because McElhone was leaving the show, could have been done better by Designated Survivor. Hopefully, Dr. Halsey will get better treatment.

Cortana

According to IGN, the original intention had actually been for Catherine Halsey's actress, Natascha McElhone, to also voice Cortana, to uphold the connection between the two characters from the games. However, because of COVID-19 scheduling issues, Cortana's original voice actress, Jen Taylor, reprises that role in the series.

Cortana's sacrifice in Halo 4 is a part of one of the Halo franchise's best levels because of how integral of a part she had been to the franchise. So, while her presence in the TV show is far from surprising, it's definitely exciting, and the familiar voice only adds to the effect.

Soren-066

Soren-066 was another candidate of the Spartan program alongside Master Chief, hence the name and number arrangement that matches with Master Chief's "real" name, John-117. The character is portrayed by Bokeem Woodbine, known for his roles in Spider-Man: Homecoming (2017) and Queen & Slim (2019).

The character has actually never appeared in the games proper but is a part of canon due to his central appearance in the short story "Pariah," part of the collection Halo: Evolutions. His backstory as a failed candidate of the Spartan program adds depth to what is depicted in the games, and his appearance in the show integrates him even more into canon.

Captain Jacob Keyes

Best known for playing Sembene, one of Penny Dreadful's most evil main characters, actor Danny Sapani enters this iconic franchise as the live-action version of Jacob Keyes. In the games, Keyes is a United Nations Space Command captain who first appeared in Halo: Reach, and who worked with Dr. Halsey on the Spartan program, which led to them having a daughter together, Miranda.

Danny Sapani has also made minor appearances in two major Disney franchise films, Star Wars: The Last Jedi and Black Panther; he is set to reprise the latter role in Black Panther: Wakanda Forever. In addition, he has acted on noteworthy TV shows Doctor Who and The Crown.

Miranda Keyes

The daughter of Captain Jacob Keyes and Dr. Catherine Halsey, Miranda's first appearance is all the way back in Halo 2 (2004). Following in the footsteps of her father, she becomes part of the United Nations Space Command navy during humanity's war against the alien Covenant. This is what brings her into contact with Master Chief, whom she assists over the course of her game appearances.

Miranda is portrayed by Olive Gray, an English actress whose most high-profile previous role has been on the children's BBC series Half Moon Investigations. No matter how the show does, then, this will definitely become the actress's most high-profile role worldwide up to this point.

Admiral Margaret Parangosky

Having been mentioned in several Halo games, Admiral Margaret Parangosky has until this point only had actual appearances in novels and short stories set in the Halo universe, although her role in the TV series is certainly bringing the character to the forefront of the Halo franchise. Like Soren-066, it wouldn't be surprising to see her in a future game.

Parangosky is portrayed by Shabana Azmi, an Indian actress most known for her roles in Hindi-language films, although she is also a women's rights activist and UN Goodwill Ambassador. Because of her achievements, she actually was given a 6-year nominated post in the Indian Parliament by the President of India.

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