Halo season 2: how to watch, trailer, plot cast and everything you need to know

Halo season 2 has now come to an end, and all episodes are now streaming on Paramount Plus.

Everything we saw ahead of the show's arrival made it seem like Halo's second season is aiming to be bigger and better than what's come so far.

During the battle on High Charity at the end of Halo season 1, Cortana took control of Master Chief's body, a decision that enabled all of Silver Team to escape the planet, and showed us just how capable a fighter John-117 can be.

With the tides of war potentially changing, they're going to need Master Chief and the rest of his squad to be fighting fit. Especially since the Covenant isn't even the only problem Silver Team's got to deal with this time around; Halsey's been replaced by ONI's James Ackerson, and he wasn't keen on dispatching them on combat ops at the outset. Here's everything you need to know about Halo season 2.

Halo season 2 release date

Halo season 2 premiered exclusively on Paramount Plus on Thursday, February 8.

The Paramount Plus original series kicked things off with a two-episode premiere, with new episodes released weekly on Thursdays through to March 21.

Halo season 2 cast

Pablo Schreiber (American Gods) was back in the armor as the Master Chief himself,  John-117, for Halo season 2.

Further returning cast included Natascha McElhone as Dr. Halsey, the creator of the Spartan-II project,  Jen Taylor as the artificial intelligence, Cortana, along with Bokeem Woodbine as Soren-066, Shabana Azmi as Admiral Margaret Parangosky, Natasha Culzac as Riz-028, Olive Gray as Dr. Miranda Keyes, Yerin Ha as Kwan, Bentley Kalu as Vannak-134, Kate Kennedy as Kai-125, Charlie Murphy as Makee and Danny Sapani as Captain Jacob Keyes.

Fiona O'Shaughnessy and Tylan Bailey were also confirmed to be returning as Laera and her son, Kessler (respectively) as series regulars for the second season.

A few new faces have also joined the fight this time around. The Originals star Joseph Morgan joined the show as James Ackerson, a skilled intelligence operative and member of the UNSC's Office of Naval Intelligence.

Cristina Rodlo (The Terror) also joined as a series regular. She plays Talia Perez, a green recruit to a UNSC Marine Corp comms unit.

Halo season 2 plot

Halo continues to follow the Spartan, Master Chief Petty Officer John-117, as the fight against the Covenant rages on in the 26th century, this time taking them to a planet anyone familiar with the franchise will know: Reach.

Here's Paramount's Halo season 2 plot synopsis for more details:

"In season two, Master Chief John-117 (Pablo Schreiber) 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 is 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 season 2 episode guide

Below you can find the episode summaries from Paramount Plus for each episode that's aired so far, along with links to our detailed episode recaps.

• Halo season 2 episode 1, "Sanctuary": A deadly evacuation mission signals a shift in Master Chief's war with the Covenant. On Reach, a new regime takes the reins at FLEETCOM. John sense a looming threat close to home.

• Halo season 2 episode 2, "Sword": John pushes Silver Team to its limit as he searches for missing Spartans. Kai worries about John's stability. Kwan finds the Rubble is a far more dangerous place in Soren's absence. Halsey seeks the identity of her captor.

• Halo season 2 episode 3, "Visegrad": John and Silver Team embark on an unsanctioned mission. Laera, Kwan and Kessler must escape Soren's mutinous crew. Ackerson receives troubling intelligence from Cortana. The threat of an attack forces Ackerson to make an irrevocable decision.

• Halo season 2 episode 4, "Reach": A Covenant assault threatens humanity's most important stronghold. John, Perez and Silver Team fight an overwhelming enemy. Adm. Keyes rallies the UNSC forces to make a stand. Halsey and Soren must work together to escape captivity.

• Halo season 2 episode 5, "Aleria": In the aftermath of defeat, the survivors struggle to pick up the pieces. On the desolate planet of Aleria, John grapples with an unprecedented loss. Soren and Laera search for their missing son. Makee treads carefully as the Arbiter grows impatient.

• Halo season 2 episode 6, "Onyx": John seeks revenge on a secret ONI planet. Perez trains to become a new kind of soldier. Kai finds herself torn between her Spartan code and her loyalty to Master Chief. Makee turns to Cortana for help in her search for the Halo.

• Halo season 2 episode 7, "Thermopylae": John-117 comes face to face with Makee. A revelation leads Ackerson to question his loyalties. Soren and Laera's relationship begins to fracture. Halsey, Kwan and Miranda work to solve a mystery.

• Halo season 2 episode 8, "Halo": The climactic battle for the Halo begins. John makes a fateful choice. Soren and Kwan undertake a rescue mission. Halsey and Miranda unleash an ancient horror.
  

Halo season 2 trailer

Paramount continued to release new clips from Halo season 2 in the run-up to the new series; we've included those, plus the official trailers below:

The official Halo season 2 trailer dropped on January 11, and it teases a seismic event from the Halo universe: the fall of Reach. This sets the stakes for the forthcoming series and shows off just some of the action we can expect to see this time around.

You can also find the season 2 first-look trailer below:

How to watch Halo

Halo streams exclusively on Paramount Plus, meaning that you need a subscription to the streaming service in order to watch the new season when it premieres or the first season if you're looking to catch up.

US consumers have the option between the ad-supported Paramount Plus Essential plan and the ad-free Paramount Plus with Showtime option, which as the name suggests also includes Showtime specific programming. Those in the UK have just one option to sign up for, making it nice and easy.