Halo Covenant Ship Names

Last time I discussed some of my favourite UNSC ship names.  Now I’d like to discuss some of the Covenant.

Truth and Reconciliation

Where Pillar of Autumn is the first UNSC ship you meet, the Truth and Reconciliation is the first Covenant ship.  You encounter the Truth and Reconciliation twice in Halo: Combat Evolved.  First you board it to save Captain Keyes and some marines who are being held captive.  Then you reboard it once the Flood is loose, fighting through Flood and Covenant to once again find Keyes.

I was extremely surprised to discover the Covenant named their ship something like “Truth and Reconciliation.”  Here was a group of aliens trying to hunt you down who have named their ship after peaceful ideals (“Reconciliation”).  It is an intriguing notion, which makes me think that humanity screwed up in their dealings with the Covenant.  I know that this didn’t actually happen in the Halo universe, but the ship name suggests that the alien Covenant is just and civil while humans are not.

Admittedly, this name seems even further from the Covenant the more I learn about them.  But it is still a fantastic name.

Long Night of Solace

This is the first large Covenant ship that is present in Halo: Reach.  After you destroy it, the Covenant fleet warps in to destroy the planet.

It is fitting that the single Covenant supercarrier at the beginning of Reach is named Long Night of Solace.  This is the ship that has begun the Covenant attack on Reach, and it has done so alone.

Long Night of Solace also brings to mind the idea that the Covenant believe in peace.  It makes me think that they are standing alone against the onslaught of chaos.  Of course, this is at odds with the actual Covenant actions.  Maybe this would be a more fitting name for a UNSC ship instead?

High Charity

High Charity is the name of the Covenant’s Holy City.  It appears in both Halo 2 and 3.  High Charity is taken over by the Gravemind, eventually appearing on the Ark.

This is probably the most ironicly named Covenant vessel in the Halo series.  On Halo 2, you first see High Charity when the Arbiter loses his rank and is branded to a cheering crowd.  Later he is given the suicidal mission as Arbiter to redeem his honour.  Finally it is, for all intents and purposes, the Gravemind.  There is no charity here.

Shadow of Intent

The Shadow of Intent shows up in Halo 3.  The Elites have come to help the humans deal with the Flood.  They have come chasing after what they believe is Cortana.  This leads to their alliance with the remaining human forces.

The Shadow of Intent is the first Covenant vessel that lives up to its name.  It is a smaller vessel, especially when compared to the Covenant fleet it encounters at the Ark.  But even though it is small, and so is the fleet it arrives with, the Shadow of Intent shows the determination of the Elites and humans.  Shadow of Intent emerges victorious.

Shadow of Intent is also the first Covenant vessel that has a more militaristic-sounding name.  Gone are the peaceful allusions that “Reconciliation,” “Solace” and “Charity” bring.  Here we have “Intent.”  And a darker “Intent” at that.

So what are your favourite Covenant ship names?  Did you think the names were fitting for the Covenant?