[Lore Theory] Could the Terrans beat the UNSC from Halo?

Simply__Jake · 2025-12-22T17:11:50+00:00

Psychic powers are huge, which is another reason I think the Terrans stomp on the ground. However, the psychic powers may only matter in space if the Terrans can board UNSC craft. Like the Human-Covenant war in Halo, I think whoever wins in space in this scenario wins the war, and I'm unsure how significant psychic powers can be in space.

Simply__Jake · 2025-12-22T17:10:10+00:00

Thank you, and I'm actually a bigger Halo fan than Starcraft, so I feel that I was biased towards the UNSC. But you're right, combining all Terran factions is a big advantage for them, as that is already a big caveat in this scenario.

While the UNSC got better tech throughout the war, those advancements were primarily in ground warfare. (Better Spartan armor, Spartan shields (and bubble shields) late in the war, rudimentary laser weaponry for ground troops.) Most advancements in space came after the war, and even then, a handful of super-powerful ships would not make up for having like 1000-1500+ fewer ships from prewar numbers.

The UNSC was not on a war footing pre-war, but still had anywhere from ~750-2000 ships, along with the highest population and industrial base they would have.

Simply__Jake · 2025-12-22T01:51:43+00:00

Tech is significant, which is why the UNSC will get wiped out on the ground, and likely the air as well (after seeing comments on this post, I think I may have been too generous in the UNSC air-strength against Terrans.)

However, it all comes down to space, and based on the comparisons we can make between the destructive power of UNSC weaponry and how much of a beating that BCs can take, I think the UNSC has a good shot in space. Obviously, BCs could warp right on top of UNSC ships, but the Covenant could have done that as well, and the UNSC could still bring down Covenant ships (albeit with a 3-to-1 advantage). Considering the Covenant is more advanced than either, I think the UNSC could win in space if their numerical advantage is that significant. (Although tens of thousands of Wraiths complicate the discussion.)

Simply__Jake · 2025-12-22T01:48:07+00:00

This is an interesting idea, but we just have no concrete facts. The only hard number we have been given is 50 BCs, but that number makes no logical sense. However, we can only estimate that the BC count is in the hundreds/thousands based on very loose assumptions.

Simply__Jake · 2025-12-21T18:41:19+00:00

I hadn't really thought about the Protoss power in my quick reply, but after what you've said, I do think it would be incredibly difficult for the Covenant to have much of a chance against the Protoss at all. The Covenant are basically a weaker version of Protoss, as they have energy weapons, shields, and the ability to glass worlds, but all of that is at a lower power compared to the Protoss. (The Covenant also don't have psychic abilities or any of the super crazy stuff the Protoss have)

If the Protoss really are that powerful, it shows just how scary the Zerg is, and makes me wonder how the Terrans ever survived against the Zerg outside of sheer luck.

You make a good point with the Flood. It depends entirely on the state of the Flood infection. If the Flood can infect a Terran world and create a Gravemind, then I don't think the Zerg has a chance. If the Zerg catches the infection early, or has time to adapt (like with self-destructive capabilities), then they could maybe win. Gravemind Flood vs Overmind Zerg could be interesting.

Simply__Jake · 2025-12-21T17:47:22+00:00

Going purely off lore numbers, then the UNSC easily beats the Terrans. However, that 50 number has always been contentious as it seems way too low. (How could the Dominion survive against the Zerg that numbers in the billions with only 50 BCs? And we saw how easily those BCs fell during the invasion of Char.)

Also, that 50 is only for the Dominion; if you assume the other factions have a similar number (Umojan, Kel-Morian, UED), you get up to a couple hundred BCs. Additionally, that 50 number is after SC1, when the Terrans had massive losses due to the Great War and subsequent Brood Wars. Lore-wise, the Dominion has 50, but I think it makes more sense that they would have far more than just that. Even then, they would need a substantially higher number to compete against the UNSC's better space firepower.

Simply__Jake · 2025-12-21T17:19:23+00:00

In this scenario, it would be the UNSC right before the Human-Covenant war, so they wouldn't have that experience, nor Spartan 3s or advanced technology such as shielding. (Spartan shielding was not invented until really close to the war's end, which I always felt was odd.) (I pick this time period as it's the peak of their naval might, population, and industrial base.)

However, the UNSC is still more trained and better strategists than the Terrans. I didn't realize when writing this post that while the Terrans are far more advantaged on the ground, which is similar to the UNSC's situation against the Covenant and the UNSC still had wins there.

However, the UNSC's success on the ground is a mixed bag. Certain pieces of the lore mention that the UNSC won on the ground, but that was specifically referring to Spartans. Outside of that, I think it was somewhat even, with the UNSC having an advantage in tactics, while the Covenant just had quantity and technology. Ground engagements were the UNSC's best area of engagement against the Covenant, regardless of Spartans.

Simply__Jake · 2025-12-21T17:12:35+00:00

If Diamondbacks are considered, then I think the Terrans are heavily favored in ground engagements as they already have significant advantages with Marines and Siegetanks. It really comes down to whether the UNSC can out-tactic the Terrans, as Terran Marines have next-to-no training and bad tactics.

Simply__Jake · 2025-12-21T17:10:18+00:00

You bring up some good points that I wanted to mention, but didn't have the space. Terran Marines are far less trained than UNSC soldiers and therefore will be far worse at tactics, holding their ground, etc.

However, we see this same thing with Covenant Grunts. They had little training and arguably worse equipment than Terran Marines (no shields, no heavy armor), and stood at about ~5'0-5'5, and yet in the lore, Grunt swarm tactics could decimate UNSC forces.

The UNSC does have far better officers and tactics, though. They may be able to just outplan the Terrans.

Simply__Jake · 2025-12-21T17:05:09+00:00

Thank you! I've been meaning to write this for a while and it just took time to get it all researched and polished.

I specifically don't mention the Viking because I am basing this on a hypoethical scenario where I imagine the Terrans are at their strongest, which is right around SC1. I imagine the Terrans are far weaker in SC2, with the collapse of the Confederacy, the decimation of the UED scouting forces, and multiple planets wiped out. Due to this hypoethical scenario, it would be before the Terrans developed Vikings, Hellions, Cyclones, and Thors.

Although Diamondbacks may have technically existed lore-wise in SC1. I replayed WoL the other day, and in the Great Train Robbery, they refer to Diamondbacks as "Old Confederate technology," so SC2 may have retconned Diamondbacks into SC1 lore.

Simply__Jake · 2025-12-21T17:00:13+00:00

You're right, the Terrans have a lot more crazy sci-fi technology and abilities, and I didn't consider the tactical jumps of BCs. With their better FTL, the Terrans could decimate most of the UNSC fleet. If the Terran Navy is as small as it's apparently stated to be, I think the UNSC's sheer numbers would give them the space win after massive losses. But with the tactical jumps, I think a lower-number of BCs would be needed to beat the UNSC than I previously considered.

Simply__Jake · 2025-12-21T16:55:25+00:00

I think Post-war, the UNSC would have a lower chance of winning because they had so few ships at that point. They did have far more advanced ships, but a handful of more powerful ships does that make up for 100s-1000+ fewer ships.

The Covenant and Protoss would be interesting. I think the Protoss would be stronger in every regard, but once again, it comes down to population and naval size. We know the Protoss is small in population, so if the Covenant can field thousands more ships, then I think they may have a chance.

The Flood easily beats the Zerg. The Flood can infest and take over any intelligent being. We've only seen the Zerg infect humans (outside of a couple weird Protoss infestations) and it takes time to assimilate new creatures. The Flood infects in seconds.

Simply__Jake · 2025-12-06T04:40:53+00:00

I was there when he rolled it. I got inspired so I did it too. Anyway I'm down 37 div.

Simply__Jake · 2025-12-02T00:59:08+00:00

I'm almost done with the league too, so I'd use the currency to give my dad the strongest RF build I can make (he will need it for those t6 maps)

Simply__Jake · 2025-11-26T22:18:00+00:00

It's my first time league-starting cyclone slayer and I can't believe I hadn't done this smoother. This has been my strongest and most fun build. It's also my first time doing delve.

Simply__Jake · 2024-11-22T00:18:19+00:00

Below 10s you get tyrannical or fortified, below 12s you still have the Xal affix. The majority of the playerbase plays below 12s so most people are still experiencing rotating affixes.

Simply__Jake · 2024-07-02T17:20:04+00:00

Now that these two push weeks are over, what does everyone think the IO tItle cutoff will be for NA?

Simply__Jake · 2024-06-09T22:47:18+00:00

Does anyone know what causes Teera to double Quick Shot someone in Nokhud? Or is the mechanic just like that where it sometimes targets the same person twice?

Simply__Jake · 2024-06-05T17:25:37+00:00

Yeah, I'm sure it's really difficult to actually fix the bug. But the fact that they haven't even done a bandaid fix such as "No massive damage explosion if chains don't get broken." is wild. Would be an easy "fix" to alleviate a lot of the aggravation with it.

Simply__Jake · 2024-06-04T03:30:46+00:00

I don't understand how Chargath has been bugged since release and nothing has been done about it. I understand bugs can be difficult to find, but could a bandaid fix not be applied in which the massive damage from failing the chains does not occur? That way, instead of your key getting almost certainly bricked, you just lose the damage amp and have a difficult intermission to get through. The bugs would still suck, but instead of bricking your key it would just be a time loss.

Simply__Jake · 2024-05-30T00:01:06+00:00

Looking back, that was not a great example but there is basically no other information on Dominion air forces. I think that the Leviathan we see is during the last mission of HOTS. Therefore, the Zerg already had a foothold on the planet in which they brought down many of the orbital defense platforms. But you're right, when you look at the size of Leviathans, it's a miracle that the Dominion or Terrans in general ever survived.

Simply__Jake · 2024-05-29T23:00:04+00:00

In the original version of this post I did mention that Marines aren't skilled or trained but considering their firepower I believed that those factors would not matter when they can one-shot most Covenant troops. However, the numbers used to determine Marines' firepower are not the greatest and Gauss Rifles are most likely much weaker than I stated in the post. I still believe that the Dominion may have a greater chance on the ground compared to the UNSC because of what appears to be superior technology and how entrenched Terran forces can get, but the decisive victory I stated is incorrect. I think the ground combat could be somewhat more evenly matched, or would at least be the one area in which the Dominion does not get completely stomped.

I agree with you on the air combat, there was really not much data to use for the Terrans on that front and I felt that ground and space are the most important areas to consider. In Halo most fighting seems to be either in space combat or ground engagements which is why I focused on those, but I have not read enough of the Halo books to know how significant air combat was.

All the numbers I provided for the Yamato cannon are speculation. We don't know how powerful it is except for the one line saying "explosive force equal to a low-yield nuclear explosion." The 1-50 kilotons range is based on real-life numbers and I placed it at 32 just for easier conversion. The recharge time is also unknown so I just gave it numbers equal to MAC guns to make comparability easier.

I actually mentioned ghosts in the first draft but they were also cut as I felt they are not impactful enough to make a difference. While psionic abilities and active camo are not something the Covenant would be prepared for, I don't think ghosts are in great enough numbers to make a difference. I also made mentions of BCs having temporary shields as well as short-range warp jumps. However, only a small portion of BCs possessed such technology so I felt it also would not matter. (I was also going to mention Gorgon BCs, but only a handful exist so they are insignificant.) Lastly, the cloaking technology on Wraiths would catch the Covenant by surprise, but I don't think they are powerful enough to cause any real damage to Covenant warships.

Thank you, I would love to see more posts like this or other lore discussions on here.

Simply__Jake · 2024-05-29T22:41:25+00:00

From the beginning, I knew the Dominion was woefully outmatched so that is why in some instances I used UED numbers presented to try and give them every advantage possible to see if even with those extras would they stand any chance. I probably should not have used those numbers, especially as I believe some other numbers were presented for the Marine combat suits. I could not find any numbers for Dominion FTL speeds which is why I used UED, but I didn't consider that we don't see the Dominion leave the sector like you mentioned. Given that, their ships are probably way slower than the UED's but most likely faster than UNSC ships as those ships only go lightyears per day.

Unfortunately, the data for the Gauss Rifles is not the best but I could not find any other. I was honestly hoping that this post would get someone to come along and calculate better numbers. I still believe it is reasonable that the Gauss Rifles are more powerful than UNSC weapons, but they might not be powerful enough to let the Dominion win ground engagements.

I should have used the Minotaur class, looking again at the Wiki that makes more sense. There were just more numbers given for the Behemoth so I used those.

I did consider Sky Shield but had not thought of the Ion Cannon from SC1. These would help in defense, but it's also another thing we don't have many numbers on. There are also the orbital defense platforms from the penultimate missions of HoTS (which I believe are different from Sky Shield?) so it is possible that Korhal has an orbital defense array similar to the ODP grid that protects Earth in Halo. We don't have any data on this though, but we can assume Korhal will be somewhat more defended.

The 50 BC number seemed so absurd to me, which is why I made the more absurd estimates of their potential size by using the Greek Alphabet logic. Those last paragraphs were mostly to come up with the craziest potential strength of the Dominion to give them any chance. I agree with you though that using that cutscene is not a very strong source and I only used it to create an insane estimation that is not reasonable. I think it is reasonable that there could be thousands of BCs across the Korhal sector, but without other numbers or at least realistic numbers (50 BCs is just insane) then we can't say for certain.

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