Could the replicators take over the Halo universe if it were completely infected with Flood?
Could the Flood take over the replicators?
Can replicators deal with a gigantic Flood force?
Could the replicators take over the Halo universe if it were completely infected with Flood?
Could the Flood take over the replicators?
Can replicators deal with a gigantic Flood force?
I'd think replicators would win. *shrugs*
Any more thrilling conclusions or Revelations?
(Sorry, a little late to the party)
I feel like one of the greatest weaknesses the flood would have in fighting the replicators would relate to space travel.
Without access to ships, the flood are basically trapped on whatever planet they're currently on, and would thus be unable to spread from planet to planet. Groups of replicators, however, can literally form into ships by combining nanites with each other (as seen in New Order, Part 2).
In this respect, all the Replicators would really need to do to secure a victory over the flood is disable all of their spacecraft. This is, in large part, how the replicators defeated the Goa'uld. Replicators (Milky Way-style) have been shown to bypass shields, disable ships, and take control of them with relative ease. (Though this assumes that Replicators could bypass Covenant shields just as easily as shields in Stargate. This also assumes that, when it comes to taking over UNSC ships, that they would be able to overpower any remaining shipboard AI's). Once the flood are deprived of ships, destroying them is just a matter of bombarding every planet they've infected from orbit.
Additionally, if the galaxy has already been completely conquered by the flood, that would indicate that all biomass in the galaxy is flood biomass and there is no organic matter left for them to consume. Given this, and the fact that replicators are machines (and thus can't be infected by the flood), the flood would only ever decrease in number after a Replicator attack, whereas the replicators would be able to grow and replace any losses they incurred.
The only way I could see the flood winning against the replicators is through some sort of logic-plague voodoo - like how the Primordial turned Mendicant Bias against the Forerunners, who then went on to turn other Forerunner AI's (including shipboard AI's) against the Forerunners, which basically wiped out their fleet and civilization. In effect, if the flood was somehow able to manipulate the Replicators in a similar way, the flood would effectively be allied with them at that point. (So, neither side would be destroyed. They'd just sort of live in harmony together).
Who's to say what's really possible though.
Okay here's what I'm going to do is very late and I'm very tired so I'll read this tomorrow. I absolutely love discussion so please tell me what time you'll be available
Those are great points, Anubis!
In my personal opinion if the flood have already taken over the Galaxy I don't see the replicators winning. This would mean that the flood have knowledge of Covenant weaponry, UNSC weaponry, and forerunner technology.
They could literally build entire fleets. Fielding all new weapons and some old. Imagine if every genius in the Galaxy was the same person.
What do you think?