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Master Chief is a great representation of the player.
For one, he's a healthy mix of a silent protagonist and an established character.
In the original trilogy, he never lets out a peep during gameplay, keeping the illusion
that the player is inside the armor alive and well.
During cutscenes, his characterization builds upon the badass that is the Chief. He launches
himself through space, delivers one-liners, and portrays the heroic image that players
want to resemble during gameplay.
Bungie worked hard to make the Master Chief a mirror of the player's self-perception,
so when wrapping up the series, it was obvious that they couldn't just kill him off.
So they took a look at the player's role in this universe: a tool of war.
Throughout the series the player takes control of this weapon and fights the Covenant, the
Flood, and anything else that dares attack humanity. By the end of our six-year career,
we've saved all organic life about three times over. We've been the best damn soldier the
UNSC has ever seen, and the Chief's fight is finished.
But the Chief can't rest. He's not a person, he's a weapon. A weapon doesn't get to rest.
It gets placed in storage, waiting for the next time you'll have to use it. And while
you hope that day will never come, you keep it, just in case.
So what does the Chief do? He places himself in cryo, waiting to be awakened when they
need him.
It's the perfect end for the player. They've had a precise and lethal influence on this
universe as a weapon of destruction. Their role is done, and the universe goes on.
And that's how Bungie says good-bye, thanking the player for being a part of their story.