Paramount+'s Halo TV series has stuck pretty faithfully to the franchise's lore - but one Master Chief change could explain why he's so special.

This article contains spoilers for Halo episode 2.

Halo's story changes can finally explain why the Master Chief is so special. John-117, the hero of the Halo games, is a legend even among the Spartans. In the original Halo timeline, the Master Chief has received every medal bar Prisoner of War, in large part because he's personally played a key role in countless victories against the Covenant. Master Chief is, in fact, ultimately the one who brings the Human-Covenant War to an end.

Dr. Halsey always knew Spartan John-117 was special. She discovered him when he was just six years old, based on a system of genetic screening to identify traits she believed to be desirable for a potential supersoldier. But when Dr. Halsey traveled to John's homeworld Eridanus II, she was particularly impressed by his luck. In the main timeline, this was also the reason the artificial intelligence named Cortana chose him to host her AI; she believed the Master Chief had something the other Spartans didn't. Both Dr. Halsey and Cortana were proved right.

Halo episode 2 may well reveal the real reason the Master Chief is unique, even among his fellow Spartans. In the main Halo timeline, every human being is genetically programmed with the potential to use ancient Forerunner technology; but it seems that isn't the case in the Paramount+ TV series. Here, only a small number of humans - sought after by the alien Covenant - possess the necessary genetic information; the Covenant's Prophets call them "Blessed Ones." John-117 is one of only two Blessed Ones who have been identified to date, and this could well be the source of his preternatural luck.

It's possible the genetic markers Dr. Halsey was screening for were those associated with the Forerunner gene; if that is the case, then all Spartans may actually be Blessed Ones. Alternatively, though, John-117 could instead be different to all his siblings - unique in that he alone can use Forerunner technology, as valuable to the UNSC as the Blessed One Makee is to the Prophets, who have taken the unusual step of allowing a human to live among the Covenant. This would certainly explain why this one man stands at the very center of the Human-Covenant War.

The UNSC has only just begun to unravel the mysteries of the Forerunners. Dr. Halsey knows only that the Master Chief retrieved an ancient artifact, and when he touched it this object reacted in unpredictable, unprecedented ways. No doubt she'll work hard to try to figure out what's going on as Halo season 1 continues.

More: Halo Timeline: When The Show Takes Place Compared To The Games