- "CHARGE!"
- —The Zealots in Sneaking In
The Zealots are two teams of Red and Blue soldiers who originated from an unknown part of the galaxy. These soldiers are, for some reason, in a constant loop of attack and retaliation, revival, and senseless murder. They serve as supporting antagonists in The Blood Gulch Chronicles and Season 15, but the only identifiable member of the Zealots is the Red Zealot. They very briefly acted as unlikely allies to the Reds and Blues in Make Your Time, though returned to being antagonists in Talk of the Town.
Overview[]
After Sarge and Caboose were sent to Battle Creek in K.I.T. B.F.F., they discovered these two teams, which would senselessly kill each other. Somehow, the song Reveille would bring these soldiers back to life and they would rush back to their respective bases to await their next battle. The blue zealots also have their motto of "Kill the reds, kill the reds!" and run out after Reveille is played. The Zealots also have a religious following of the Red and Blue team flags. It was later confirmed that the Zealots are part of the Red and Blue simulation set up by Project Freelancer.
Role in Plot[]
Battle at Battle Creek[]
The Zealots' religious figure seems to be a flag held in their bases at Battle Creek. When The Red Zealot captured the blue flag the blue team focused their efforts on killing the soldier and restoring the flag to its rightful place. The Red Zealot also seemed to believe in "The Anti-Flag" (which was actually Caboose) and believed it would rule them for seven years. When Sarge and Caboose arrived at the battlefield they were caught in the crossfire of the opposing teams. The two exploited the local religion in order to escape, or as Sarge put it "getting ourselves completely involved and kicking some serious ass!"
Alliance with Wyoming[]
The Zealots were later summoned to Sidewinder by Simmons by using a teleporting device. Simmons manages to trick them into fighting O'Malley by saying that he has the flag. The battle ends when the bomb inside Church detonates which sends nearly all the Zealots, except the Red Zealot who was sent to Zanzibar, to a distant location within a snow valley.
While at the base within a frozen valley, the Zealots apparently came under the service of Wyoming and acted as his bodyguards. When Tex, Tucker, Caboose, Andy and the Alien come to the base in search of the treasure, Tex attempts to use stealth in order to kill the Zealots and get to the treasure. However, they are soon alerted to their presence when Tucker makes a small noise. Tex soon kills them all single-handedly with a pair of SMGs.
Afterward, as Tex continued her pursuit for Wyoming, she, along with York and Delta, eliminated the remaining Zealots in a firefight, atop Omega's fortress. Two dead Zealots are later seen in Recovery One: Part One when Washington arrives to collect Delta.
Epsilon's Post-Chorus Simulations[]
Shortly before his death in The End, Epsilon simulated a multitude of potential scenarios that could happen in the event that everyone but himself survives, including the Zealots.
Joining the Blues and Reds[]
Many years later, the Zealots make their return in Season 15, having been recruited by Temple into the Blues and Reds, along with all other Simulation Troopers except the Reds and Blues, as part of their campaign against the UNSC. After the Blues and Reds leave to the UNSC headquarters, the Zealots are left behind to guard the Reds and Blues. Later, the crew engage the zealots in a firefight at the base's hangar bay and manage to defeat them, with a few remaining soldiers retreating. The whereabouts and status of the remaining Zealots are unknown.
Trivia[]
- The Zealots were created by Burnie Burns as a parody of stereotypical Halo players. In their first appearance in Season 3, they were presented as actual online players, with one Red Grunt declaring he had to "take out the trash" and would be right back. They were quickly rewritten into different characters, however, when the Red Zealot appeared to Doc/O'Malley and Lopez, and later made part of the Freelancer Simulation troopers.
- They may also be inspired by the Unggoy (AKA Grunts) from the Halo franchise, as both are comedic, dim-witted-but-fanatical enemy antagonist foot-soldiers with high-pitched voices, only dangerous in large numbers.
- Zealots all wear the same armor, the only differences being either red or blue colors.
- The Zealots wear Green Visors as of Season 15.
- It's currently unknown how or why the Zealots revive upon hearing Reveille, which originally represented online Halo matches ending and starting. This gag has never been used past their first appearance and may have been discarded from the narrative. However, it could be inferred to be an aspect of the armor-lockup mechanic it was later revealed Project Freelancer uses to simulate death of Sim Troopers.
- Every Grunt's voice is raised in high pitch after lines are recorded to create an irritating tone of voice. This is done to resemble the stereotypical "rowdy and offensive" Halo player.
- The Zealots appear in the special award show video The Best Red vs. Blue DVD Ever. Of All Time. as viewers of the event.
- Xbox marketplace offers a RvB Camping T-shirt displaying the phrase, "It's a legitimate strategy!" for Xbox avatars as a tribute to the Zealots.[1]
