The Halo Season 2 Trailer Heralds The Return Of Paramount's Lavish And Divisive Video Game Adaptation

The "Halo" season 2 trailer has arrived, and it brings with it the return of Master Chief who is now facing a new, familiar threat to those who played the games: The Covenant. Indeed, this season will see the sword-wielding aliens wreaking havoc. It appears that the folks at Paramount+ spared no expense in crafting the second season of this show, but will that be enough to turn it into the series everyone hoped it would be in the first place?

This trailer is very moody and overflowing with gloomy action. It's got a "Starship Troopers" vibe to it at times, just without all of the vibrant color and blatant political commentary. We're also, once again, seeing Master Chief without his helmet off an awful lot. Love it or hate it, that element of the show remains in place. It's very cinematic and a lot of the visual effects look big-screen worthy. The official synopsis for the second season reads as follows:

In season two, Master Chief John-117 leads his team of elite Spartans against the alien threat known as the Covenant. In the wake of a shocking event on a desolate planet, John cannot shake the feeling that his war is about to change and risks everything to prove what no one else will believe – that the Covenant are preparing to attack humanity's greatest stronghold. With the galaxy on the brink, John embarks on a journey to find the key to humankind's salvation, or its extinction — the Halo.

"Halo" is one of the most popular and influential video game series in history. For years, Hollywood tried to get the project off the ground as a movie. "District 9" only came about because the filmmakers couldn't get a "Halo" movie made. But the advent of streaming gave way to TV shows with movie-sized budgets, paving the way for the property to make its way to the small screen instead. Whether or not that was the right call still, in many ways, remains to be seen.

The response to the first season was pretty mixed overall. Many viewers were a bit disappointed with just how far the narrative strayed from the games. It also had a strong "Mandalorian" vibe with the "reluctant hero saves a kid" narrative. And, to this show's detriment, Mando and Grogu did it better. All the while, Paramount+ has a lot riding on this show as one of the flagship series on its streaming service. This feels like a make-or-break season. It certainly looks impressive in the early going.

David Wiener ("Brave New World") serves as the showrunner of the series. The cast is led by Pablo Schreiber ("American Gods") as Master Chief, alongside Natascha McElhone ("Californication") as Dr. Halsey. Additional returning cast members include Jen Taylor ("RWBY") as Cortana, Bokeem Woodbine ("Fargo"), Shabana Azmi ("Fire"), Natasha Culzac ("The Witcher"), Olive Gray ("Half Moon Investigations"), Yerin Ha ("Reef Break"), Bentley Kalu ("Avengers: Age of Ultron"), Kate Kennedy ("Catastrophe"), Charlie Murphy ("Peaky Blinders"), and Danny Sapani ("Penny Dreadful").

"Halo" season 2 premieres on February 8 on Paramount+.