Stasis field

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For thetemporal manipulation technology also known as a stasis field, seetimelock.

Stasis field is a generic term for various technologies designed to immobilize or confine individuals or objects.

Covenant[edit]

343 Guilty Spark being held in a Covenant stasis field in theSanctum of the Hierarchs.

Covenant stasis fields comprise an artificially-induced thickening of the air, used to keep objects or individuals immobilized in their present position.^[1]Covenant escape pods use stasis fields to keep occupants safely restrained while the pod blows away from the parent ship at high speed.^[1] TheUnggoy Deacon Dadab once used the stasis field on aKig-Yar escape pod to keepLighter Than Some safely immobilized when theHuragok's buoyancy level dipped dangerously low.

Dextro Xur-pattern Spirit dropships used by theSangheili were also equipped with stasis fields to prevent passengers from being thrown about by the momentum of the craft, though many Spirits given to theJiralhanae did not have this capability, instead requiring manual straps and handholds to secure passengers. This was a fact thatMaccabeus deeply resented.^[2]

TheMinister of Fortitude also used a stasis field to keep a ball of medicinaltea floating above his lap. The stasis field he used was presumably projected from hisgravity throne, and was smaller-scale than the other stasis fields mentioned above.^[3]

A stasis field-emitting device was featured in center of the inner chamber of theSanctum of the Hierarchs withinHigh Charity. The field was used to hold343 Guilty Spark in an immobile state after themonitor's capture by the Covenant.^[4]

The Covenant also experimented with stasis weaponry, of which theArbiter Ripa 'Moramee had unrestricted access.^[5] Ripa was capable of deploying mass-stasis fields to halt movement and the ability to give or receive damage inside a certain radius, andStasis mines that stun and immobilise those who activate them.^[6] TheBkowe'nei-pattern Vampire was also equipped with aStasis cannon, designed to immobilise enemy aircraft until they crashed into the ground.^[7] This weapon operated on the basis of anEMP.^[8]

Forerunner[edit]

Ellen Anders held in the stasis field device at theApex Site.

TheForerunners used a type of stasis field to keep a ship's occupants restrained during extreme acceleration. A form of stasis field was used to maintain military equipment such as weapons and vehicles onboard a ship in a pristine condition. These stasis fields produced a barely audible ticking sound.^[9] TheLifeworkers also used stasis fields to contain and preserve the various organisms they collected in theConservation Measure.^[10]

Related Forerunner technologies includeconfinement andconstraint fields as well asAI suppressors. Astime-locked slipspace bubbles are also referred to as stasis fields in general usage, it is somewhat difficult to determine if some of the fields described here are based on such technology.^[11]

Stasis bubble[edit]

The Forerunners also created stasis fields with the purpose ofphysically restraining individuals. In weapons-gradestasis bubbles, individuals could be kept immobilized and unconscious for years. These bubbles were used by theMaster Builder to detain theUr-Didact and several other Forerunners onboard aBuilder hulk drifting within aBurn. Due to a loss of power resulting from the ship's decrepit state, the Didact andSharp-by-Striking were released from their stasis bubbles. These fields were designed for efficiency rather than comfort: after being held in a bubble for years, the Didact felt an aching sensation throughout his entire body.^[12] While stasis bubbles were resistant to almost all forms of damage when at full power, the twoPrometheans were strong enough to break the two remaining bubbles due to their already failing state. When destroyed, the stasis fields collapsed with shimmering bursts of ultraviolet light^[13] and a noticeable stench of ozone.^[12] The bubbles could not be detected by Forerunner sensors and could keep their occupants alive even in the vacuum of space for significant periods of time: Sharp andMaker-of-Moons planned re-energize and enter the bubbles and jettison themselves in orbit aroundUthera Midgeerrd rather than be absorbed by theFlood.^[14]

Confinement device[edit]

TheApex Site located onTrove possessed another type of stasis field, comprised of two rings which emitted an energy field which encircled and restrained a prisoner. The Covenant used this particular containment field device as a holding cell forProfessor Ellen Anders before using her to activate the inertForerunner dreadnoughts docked within the facility. In contrast to most stasis fields which barely manifest visually apart from slight wavering or distortions of the air, the field was conspicuously visible as a thick torrent of blue-tinted energy. The device also functioned as atranslocation pad, with both functions operated by vocal commands. When containment was activated a ring would hover above the held object, connecting the tubular stasis field to another ring on the floor. When the field was disengaged, the upper ring would rapidly fall into a socket in the floor. There was a similar device on the surface of the shield world which acted as a receiving end for the teleportation system.^[15]

Trivia[edit]

The stasis field device inHalo Wars is aesthetically very similar to theGeonosian containment field used to hold Obi-Wan Kenobi captive inStar Wars: Episode II: Attack of the Clones.
It is possible that a device like this could kill its occupant in real life if used for long enough due toorthostatic intolerance,^[16] unless this effect has been mitigated through the use of some exotic mechanism.