Over in the Bungie forums, Exalted Legendary Member Danves has pointed out that the Sadie's Story and the campaign level Data Hive are both structured similarly to the Epic Poem by Dante.
The thread is here:
http://www.bungie.net/Forums/posts.aspx?postID=37475960This is critical find and might very well lead us in the right direction when it comes to interpreting other aspects of the game, for instance- the nine Barrier Codes. Each time we encounter the number 9, we'll have to consider if it ties into the related concept of "nine circles of hell".
For easy reference, here are those nine codes again:
As I pointed out in my
article this code progression has a circular quality in that it begins and ends with the letter A.
With all of the Data Hive curiosities popping up, a conceptual framework for that level is certainly a welcome tool!
Danves (and lets not forget NinjaTheory) have made the Sadie's Story connections perfectly clear as well. Each of the nine story circles includes manifestations of the corresponding "evil" in that particular Circle of Hell. This results in the act of Betrayal being linked strongly to the cinematic in Data Hive, as it occurs in the "Ninth Circle". Although Danves' Bungie thread has pointed out Vergil's betrayal against the Covenant and Kinsler's Cop's betrayal of the Rookie, we must also look at who has betrayed the Superintendent and forced him offline.
Time to review the Comm Data and cinematics again!
In the meantime, a message for Danves and company: can we enlist your minds into the SGP?!?