Halo has a mountain of lore most fans may never experience. The games enjoy brief dives into the lore, but the lion’s share of characters, storylines, and events occur in the many extended universe novels. Subsequently, the Halo TV show pulls primarily from the books. Jacob Keys is a rare example of a game character appearing prominently in the series. Though his presence in the show is critical, he’s far from the same figure fans met in Combat Evolved.
The second season of Halo diverges heavily from the first. It’s more dedicated to references, fanservice, and callbacks to the source material. That’s a double-edged sword, as changes to the broad narrative fit comfortably into a new timeline. Recreations of events fans remember from the games are more dangerous, as every alteration sticks out. A character like Jacob Keyes experiences a different story, but some will argue it’s no improvement from his fate in the early 2000s.
Who is Jacob Keyes in the Halo games?
Captain Jacob Keyes is a celebrated United Nations Space Command Naval officer. His skills and experience as a tactician and leader placed him in the upper echelon of the UNSC. He joined the Navy during the Insurrection, an uprising by colonists on other planets. His first notable decision came during Officers Candidate School when an instructor botched a test and killed fourteen soldiers. Keyes suffered a severe burn, but still obstinately refused to testify against the teacher. His tight lips prompted Dr. Catherine Halsey to recruit him for the Spartan II program. He met John-117 before the future Master Chief endured his augmentations. Despite his reliable discretion, Halsey discarded him as he learned the details of her flash cloning scheme. Their working relationship evolved into a brief romance, eventually leaving Halsey with her daughter, Miranda.
Captain Keyes became a legend in the early days of the Human-Covenant War. He accomplished several seemingly impossible feats, often saving UNSC lives while evading Covenant onslaughts. He commands the Pillar of Autumn, the starting area of the first Halo game. Its military passengers include Master Chief John-117. Its AI is Cortana, who Keyes hands off to John for safekeeping. Keyes kills a Covenant infiltrator, but the aliens still spot the vessel. The Covenant exterminates the crew but takes Captain Keyes hostage. John and Cortana rescue him, bringing him to Alpha Base. Keyes guides his Marines to a supposed weapons cache, only to discover a Flood containment facility. Keyes becomes one of several soldiers enslaved to a Proto-Gravemind, which consumes his memories. He manages to keep them trapped by feeding them useless stored information until John and Cortana arrive to detonate the Pillar of Autumn. John kills Keyes to take his key, letting him activate the self-destruct sequence. Cortana leaves Keyes with the assurance that he would’ve wanted this. Most of Keyes’ dialogue is purely functional, but this line from Admiral Preston Cole sums him up well:
Men like him will save us, you know. We need more like Keyes
Who is Jacob Keyes in the Halo show?
Admiral Jacob Keyes is a far less compelling character in the Halo show. He remains an integral commander in the UNSC Navy, but his skills as a tactician and inspiring leader are primarily demonstrated through chatter. He’s set up as an antagonist, as are most of the bureaucrats above the Master Chief. Keyes is still a gruff, dedicated military man, but most of his screen time is dedicated to his relationship with his daughter. He spends a lot of time standing in boardrooms disagreeing with Halsey or fighting with Miranda.
Halo season two keeps him out of the spotlight, giving him only a couple of scenes. His spotlight moment comes in the fourth episode when the show tackles the Fall of Reach. He demonstrates his personality by turning against Spartan program director James Ackerson after discovering the planned invasion. Keyes offers a rousing speech to the unarmored Spartans, then leads them into battle. Keyes seemingly dies, sacrificing himself to allow civilians to escape. Though his body isn’t shown, and he could reappear, the Halo show seems to have written out Keyes before his most notable appearances and without most of his nuance.
Who plays Jacob Keyes in Halo?
Danny Sapani portrays Jacob Keyes in Halo. Sapani is a British actor who has been appearing in impactful roles across film and TV since the early 90s. He has prominent positions in shows like Penny Dreadful, The Bastard Executioner, and Killing Eve. Marvel fans might remember Sapani as M’Kathu, leader of the Border Tribe in both Black Panther films. He’s set to appear in an undisclosed role in Guy Ritchie’s Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare this April.
Jacob Keyes is a compelling if archetypal character. He fills a necessary role in the first Halo game, but his fascinating backstory established across several novels made him iconic. The Halo show doesn’t use Keyes to his full potential, despite Danny Sapani’s solid performance in the role. Keyes is the genius strategist forced to sacrifice himself for a losing battle in both versions of Halo.
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